


Second Impressions

by capriexo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bokuaka - Freeform, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mafia AU, beefed mafia bokuto, past akaashi/konoha
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2019-09-14 01:59:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 53,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16903962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capriexo/pseuds/capriexo
Summary: His failed engagement was the last thing Akaashi Keiji wanted to think about, much less remember. After being forced in an outing with his college roommate and best friends, Akaashi meets a sketchy club owner who is more than happy to give him the attention Akaashi so desperately wants to avoid.





	1. Heart Made of Glass, Mind of Stone

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! It's been a few years since I've written anything so I'm taking a leap with this bokuaka fanfic lmao. I hope you guys like it, comments/kudos are always appreciated!!

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

A quarter after seven and Akaashi Keiji found himself in his cubicle after most of his coworkers have left. The only people left in the office now was his friend Oikawa who, most likely, was participating in something unsavory inside their boss’ office. Akaashi looked back up at the clock and sighed, wondering if and when they would finish and if they even remembered they had plans for dinner after work. Almost on cue, Oikawa came through the corridor clearing his throat while adjusting the scarf around his neck, giving him a sheepish smile. Akaashi rolled his eyes and got up from his chair, slinging his bag over his shoulder before he turned on a heel, leaving Oikawa to follow behind.

“Took you long enough. Where’s Iwaizumi-san?”

“He had to finish something up real quick. He said he’ll meet us up at the restaurant .”

“You know, we probably would’ve left for the restaurant faster if you hadn’t distracted him.” Akaashi poked. He didn't mean any harm and he wasn't actually upset, but Oikawa was too easy to tease.

“I didn’t do anything! We were discussing the quarterly!”

“Quarterlies huh? In November?”

“I’ll have you know it’s not that unheard of!”

“Of course! Of course, just don’t get too riled up. Your hickey becomes more noticeable when your face turns red.” Akaashi smirked. Oikawa squinted and adjusted the scarf around his neck once more before they leave the building.

“You’re giving me this much shit, but the second you find someone Kei-chan I won’t be as merciful!”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“What—“ Oikawa stopped dead in his tracks, “You gave up on dating already? You only had Tinder for a couple of days.”

Akaashi groaned, “I’m not going to date someone on an app, Oikawa. That’s…beneath me.”

“How do you think Iwa-chan and I met?”

“I know how you met, that’s why I’m saying it’s beneath me.”

“Mean!”

Halfway through their walk towards the restaurant, Iwaizumi met their pace, offering to drive them the rest of the way. With it being one of the coldest autumns in a while, both men accept. Of course, not without teasing Iwaizumi to Oikawa’s heart content.

“I don’t know if you can afford me, Iwa-chan.” He mocked, batting his eyelashes playfully towards his boyfriend while Akaashi found himself in the back of the car.

Iwaizumi sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, “Get in the car, Oikawa, we’re already late.”

“We can be a little later.” Oikawa winked, continuing the banter as Iwaizumi feeds into Oikawa’s nonsense. Had it been another time and had Akaashi not been starving, he would’ve humored it until the end, but considering he had skipped lunch, he was having none of it.

“Not all of us had a dick sandwich for lunch and dinner, get in the car, Oikawa-san.” With both parties equally as flushed, Oikawa finally entered the car with a huge huff and crossing his arms.

“It’s all Iwa-chan’s fault.”

“Oh right, it was my fault you wanted to role-play as a cheap prostitute before dinner.”

“I am not cheap!”

“Sorry, _easy_.”

The banter continued even after Iwaizumi parked his car in the lot, and did not end until he pressed a kiss to Oikawa’s cheek to mutter a soft, “I’m sorry, I was kidding”. Oikawa decided to let it go for the time being, but Akaashi was almost certain that Iwaizumi got a kick out of annoying Oikawa too. It should be mentioned that they both loved Oikawa entirely. Oikawa helped Akaashi during a rough patch during his last relationship, and Iwaizumi can attest (but never admit) that Oikawa helped him de-stress and realize that there are more important things in life than a due date. Distracted by his own thought process again, and again because of Oikawa, Akaashi looked to see Suga and Daichi sitting at the table waiting for them.

Akaashi can tell that they’re both annoyed that they were late (once again), but Suga had been so good at hiding this emotion that Oikawa and Iwaizumi barely noticed. Daichi’s contempt, however, had been more obvious. Akaashi, having been the couple’s roommate once before when they were in college, could tell when they were upset. That and Akaashi was always more attuned to other people’s emotions, especially if they weren’t his.

“Took you three long enough,” Daichi grumbled, earning himself a playful pat from Suga’s hand.

“In my defense, I finished work early,” Akaashi said quickly, flitting his eyes over the menu in order to avoid wasting time when it came to ordering.

“I finished work early too!”

Akaashi supported his head with his fist and looked at Oikawa longingly, “You make it incredibly easy to make fun of you. The opportunities are so outstanding that I keep them to myself because Iwaizumi-san is my boss and I want to keep my job." 

Professionally, Iwaizumi decided not to say anything but opted instead to blush deeply inside of his wine glass. Oikawa wisely kept to himself before flashing Akaashi his tongue.

Once the waiter had arrived, the four quickly made their way into ordering and later received their food. Because the trio had arrived late, it seemed that the dinner rush had ended, resulting in an early arrival of their meals. Daichi had to thank their lateness for that, at least.

“So! Keiji! Tooru told me that you downloaded Tinder the other night!” Suga exclaims with a smile as he cut into his chicken breast. 

Akaashi’s lower lip twitched downwards. As grateful as he was for Oikawa, one thing he couldn’t stand was how unbelievably nosy he was. “Yeah. I did.”

“Past tense.” Oikawa completed for him, “He deleted it already though.”

“What? Why?”

“I just don’t think it’s for me—“

“He said it was for lonely weirdos.”

Glaring once again, Akaashi rubbed his temples. “For the last time—“

“It kind of is for lonely weirdos.” Iwaizumi added, causing Oikawa to shriek unattractively.

“How could you say that?! We met on that app for lonely weirdos!”

“We met in a bar. You not remembering that detail, when we saw each other on Tinder, was a coincidence. Not to mention, Hanamaki duped me into downloading it when I was drunk.”

“Betrayed by my own boyfriend—!”

Akaashi turned his head back to Suga and Daichi, to which Suga gives him a pat on his hand. “I get it. It’s weird and if it’s not the way you want to do things I don’t blame you.”

“It’s not that it’s just…I don’t think I have time for a relationship. I feel like I have enough to do at work and—“

“If I may be brash and a bit rude…you didn’t seem to have a problem with keeping a relationship when your life was all but falling apart junior year of college.” Daichi added pointedly.

Akaashi took a deep sigh. There was no offense taken and in a way, Daichi had a point, one that Akaashi had been trying to avoid for a year now. He responded by giving a tilt of his head and grimacing a bit too deeply, sending Suga into a panic to assure his feelings.

“It’s fine. Daichi-san has a point. I just don’t know how to go about it yet, that’s all.”

“Keiji, it’s okay to admit you still love him. It’s only been a year.”

“Not to mention, I’d be surprised if you didn’t still love him,” Daichi continued much to Suga's contempt. “I mean, that was pretty traumatic, what with the ring and all—“

“ _Thank you._ So much. For all of… _that._ ” Akaashi barely poked at his food now. Anytime his ex-fiancé was mentioned, even for a second, it never failed to make his stomach churn.

“What Daichi is trying to say is go at your own pace. No one is forcing you, and we want you to know that we’re giving you these suggestions because we want you to be happy, Keiji.

“I know, I know. It’s still just kind of weird.”

“Guess who has an idea! It’s me!” Oikawa smiled as finally ended the latest squabble with Iwaizumi. “Let’s go out this weekend. Just the three of us, you, me, and Kou-chan. It’ll be like old times again.”

“Oikawa, you have a proposal due next Monday—“

“Jeez, Iwa-chan, I’ll get it done before then. What are you, my boss?”

Iwaizumi gave Oikawa a warning glance before going back to his food. Oikawa turned back to Akaashi and Koushi with an expectant smile. Suga eventually gave the smile back and even looked hopeful. “I think that’ll be good for us.”

Good for me, you mean? Akaashi thought to himself. Regardless, he knew that he wouldn't hear the end of it if he didn't agree, so he did just that. Soon after Akaashi agreed, the table was bombarded with plans as to what they should do, what the should wear, where they should go out for dinner, and lastly, which club to attend.

“Wait, guys, can we please get rid of the club idea? It’s been way too long since I’ve been—“

“More of a reason for you to go!”

Akaashi ignored Oikawa again, “—not to mention, it’ll be too crowded, there are too many college kids and it won’t be much of an ori-boys night anyway, especially if Tooru calls Iwaizumi-san after he’s had a few drinks.”

Akaashi jumped when he felt a pair of strong hands gripping his shoulder. He looked behind him to see that Oikawa had a sinister look to him, and just by that look alone he knew that there was absolutely no getting around the club. Akaashi visibly slumped and began to poke at his spinach once again while Oikawa and Suga continue to plan the night away.

After dinner, the couples went their separate ways. Iwaizumi offered to give Akaashi a ride home but he easily dismissed, assuring him that his apartment was only half a block away and that he would walk. Iwaizumi grimaced and Oikawa whined a little bit but they both watched as Akaashi walked by himself down the street until they couldn't see him anymore.

Oikawa was the first one sigh before he felt Iwaizumi’s strong hand under his chin. Oikawa smiled and pressed a kiss into his palm before looking at him lovingly.

“He’ll be okay, Tooru.”

“I know he will be. I just don’t think it helps that I bring you everywhere, no offense.”

“No, it’s fine. I get it.”

“It probably also doesn’t help that Daichi and Kou-chan are engaged. Keiji is just surrounded by couples.” Oikawa leans into Iwaizumi’s neck instead, “Iwa-chan, do you know any singles? We should set him up on a blind date.”

“Not only will Keiji kill you himself, but everyone we know is getting married, baby.”

“Our luck." Oikawa sighed, "Let’s go home?”

 

Akaashi blew hot breath into the air and watched it fan out in front of him. He began to think about how inconvenient it would be to have glasses and slightly chuckled to himself about what it would be like to walk around with fogged up glasses.

For the past year and a half, this had been Akaashi’s reality. While alone, he found himself thinking about trivial things while he walked home, a coping mechanism to try and avoid thinking about anything he didn’t want to think about (often times, these thoughts fit in the category of things he should think about). He had rejected Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s offer for a drive home because of two reasons, Akaashi hated feeling like a burden, and although Oikawa would personally gut him for even thinking he was, he couldn’t help but feel guilty for having Iwaizumi drive a little out of their way to take him home, even if Akaashi lived only five minutes away.

The second reason is that he didn’t want to be around anymore couples for the day, and he especially didn’t want to express that in front of his friends. What Daichi had said in the restaurant held some truth, and Akaashi was an expert in hiding and running away from said truth. Having it brought up like it was nothing in the middle of the restaurant sent him into a panic, and he wanted to avoid having the conversation any more if possible, knowing immediately that Oikawa would jump on the topic the second Akaashi got in the car. On the other hand, there was a part of him that was almost certain that Oikawa would bring it up tomorrow during lunch anyway, so he’d rather deal with it then with the excuse that Akaashi wanted to focus on his work instead. There was also the possibility that Oikawa would forget what happened at dinner completely. The older things are in Oikawa’s mind, Akaashi figured, the more likely they wouldn't be brought up again (a hypothesis Oikawa had proven wrong several times before, but Akaashi can only hope).

As he entered his apartment, he locked the door behind him and dropped the keys in the dish next to him. He shook his shoes off and breathed warm air in for once before moving to the living room, where he crossed his legs and looked at the clock above his tv. He huffed out a puff of air annoyingly, deeming it still too early to go to sleep for the night. At this time, he decided to deep clean his closet, taking out clothing to donate and throw away.

At the very top of his closet shelf, a heart-shaped box fell on to his head violently, causing him to curse loudly. His blood ran cold when he remembered what the box contained, a forgotten engagement gift that Akaashi told himself he would open the day he got married. His hands trembled over the satin of the box as he found himself swallowing the lump in his throat time and time again. He opened the box slowly, revealing the photos of him and his past fiancé, Konoha Akinori. The box was filled of pictures of the two of them, love notes that they shared in class back in high school, and a litter of tiny gifts Akaashi had never seen before, probably something Konoha hid while Akaashi wasn’t looking.

A gift that grabs his attention is a small bag of chips. It’s nothing special, not to Akaashi, at least. He remembered eating them quite often, but they didn’t hold too much significance to him. He turned the bag over to see a note attached, removing it before taking it out of the envelope.

The date on the top was a few days before Konoha and he broke up, dating specifically to the time Konoha slept at someone else’s apartment for the first time.  
Akaashi already dreaded where this is going, but he read it regardless.

_Keiji,_

_It feels weird, writing this to you now. You’re asleep in the other room…our room, I guess. But you and I both know it hasn’t been “ours” for a while now. I love you, but the more we’re around each other, the more I fear that this isn’t going to work and we may never see our wedding day._  
_What happened? Did we outgrow each other? Did college really change us that much?_

_I originally packed these snacks in our wedding box so that we could sneak eat them before we saw each other. That was about a month ago._

_How could things change so drastically in a month?_

_I hope that we find this letter during our wedding and we laugh it off like nothing ever happened, but the further we go on doing this, I feel like one of us will be reading this alone._

_I hope it’s the first one._

_I love you,_  
_Akinori._

Akaashi felt sick and would’ve thought that he was being pranked if it weren’t for the fact that Konoha hadn’t stepped foot in this apartment since he came to pick his things up a year ago. Konoha felt different? _He_ felt that they had _outgrown_ each other? He felt things drastically changed in a month? As far as Akaashi was concerned, he wasn’t aware that anything was wrong until Konoha left their apartment and went to sleep at some stranger’s apartment. He hadn’t known that Konoha was feeling anything other than love up until he left. Akaashi had been in the dark up the whole time and as the emotions settled in his stomach, he realizes that the tightness in his chest is too severe to ignore anymore.

“Fuck you,” Akaashi growled, crumpling the letter back into the box before standing up. He glared at the box before kicking it across the room, watching the pictures fly. Akaashi’s breathing stuttered as he stomped on the box and threw it across the room. “Fuck you! _Fuck you, fuck you, **fuck you!**_ ” He screamed, tears spilling down his cheeks before he falls to his knees once more.

He continued to tremble on his carpeted floor, heaving and gagging while his hand clutched their engagement photo.

Through the seething anger, the confusion, the betrayal and the heartbreak that feels like it has cracked down into his lungs, Akaashi took his time to pick up every gift, every bent photo that he desperately tried to smoothen to place in the heart-shaped box. Because even if Akaashi’s heart had been torn out from his throat, he still loved him, and he feared that he always will.


	2. Sweetened Breath and a Tongue So Mean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #2 up and running! I'm trying to scheduled since I've never been one for posting on time but here's another chapter, a big longer than the last, try not to hate me too much.
> 
> find me on twitter at: shierogane !!

Akaashi never wished for death. His mentality was whenever life gets down, it couldn’t get any worse than it already was. He loved to live, he loved to laugh, but having a tipsy Oikawa in his apartment made it a little more difficult to find the beauty in life. Especially if Oikawa was a bit of an ugly drunk. 

“Keep that up and Iwaizumi-san’ll be here faster than you can take that shot.” Akaashi sighed. He was only four shots in, but Oikawa was probably two or three ahead of him.  

“Nuh-uh. I told Iwa-chan before we left for work that I’m not going to call him unless it’s an absolute emergency.” 

“Last time you said that you excused it as a _dickin’_ emergency.” 

“Keiji! Who is teaching you such foul language!?” 

“ _You are.”_  

Oikawa dismissed him with a hand and took one more shot. “Okay. I’m done, for now, I’ll drink some more at the club and when Kou-chan gets here. Let’s get you ready.”

“I _am_ ready.”

Oikawa lip turned in disappointment. “Kei-chan. I love you so much. You’re like my cute younger brother. Iwa-chan and I would _die_ for you. But this—this is so ugly that it makes me suicidal.” 

Akaashi swatted Oikawa’s hands off his shoulders with a sneer. “Piss off. I’m wearing this and that’s final. It’s a protest because I didn’t even want to go to the club anyway.” 

“Keiji, baby, I know for a fact that if Koushi told you to change you would.”

“That’s because Koushi can express his feelings instead of jumping to dramatics. Who says they’re suicidal because of a khaki choice?!” 

“ _Who goes to a club in khakis!?”_ Oikawa whined out. 

Before Oikawa could continue his whining, both adults heard the front door open and close, revealing Suga in warm, yet club appropriate attire. Akaashi began to feel envious of Suga’s body (and life, but we’ll get to that later) and refused to change even more. What was the point of changing if he was going to look like hard mud next to his model passing best friends? 

“I heard the screaming from outside, what’s going on?”

“Kei-chan wants to go out in these ugly khakis and I’m trying to tell them they’re God awful.”

“Unbelievable.” Akaashi sighed under his breath. 

“God, Tooru, how much did you drink?”

“I’ve only had five. Six? Maybe seven but considering I hate odd numbers it’s probably six.”

Suga imitated a gag and poured himself a drink. “Are you actually going in khakis, Keiji?”

“They’re comfortable and I don’t see a problem.”

“I envy how fashion-blind you are.” Oikawa snipped. Akaashi tried his best to ignore him. 

Suga sighed and just by the sigh alone and the path he was taking towards his bedroom, Akaashi knew that Suga was going to try some bullshit flattery technique to make him change. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Just…gonna look at your closet.”

“Can we _please_ not do this? I don’t really want to look obnoxious at the club.” Akaashi cried, falling back on his bed as he watched Suga go through endless hangers of clothes. 

“‘Kaashi, you have such nice clothes. Why don’t you wear them?” 

“I don’t know. What’s the point?" 

“You’d look so nice in this shirt with some nice black pants. Give it a try?” 

“No thanks.” 

Suga sighed and placed the clothing on the bed, sitting right next to Akaashi’s head. “Alright. Talk. Any other day you would’ve loved an Original boys night.”

“Is it much of an ori-boy night if we go to the club?” 

“We always go to the club, Keiji. In fact, you’re always the one to suggest going. What changed?”

“Nothing changed. Don’t you think we’re just a little too old to be going to the club?”

 “You’re twenty-four, Keiji, peak clubbing age. Not to mention, you’re deflecting, and you’re not doing a very good job at it.” Suga grimaced, “Is it Tooru? I can get that he’s a little much, especially when he drinks. If you want I can tell him to reschedule—“

 “No, no. It’s not Tooru either, it’s just—“ Akaashi huffed heavily into his hands before turning on to his stomach. “A couple days ago, I found the box I was supposed to open on the day of my wedding.”

 Suga grimaced knowingly and pat his back, “I’m sorry. I know that’s hard for you.” 

 “That’s not even the worst of it. The letters, the _fucking_ letters. Just going in to detail about why everything is wrong and why he felt he didn’t love me anymore and how he thought he might be falling in love with someone else.” Akaashi began to choke and started to feel his throat constrict. “The dates were all dates I thought we were doing our _best_. The whole time I was in the dark, I didn’t—he never said anything—“ 

 “Oh my God, Keiji, come here.” Suga pulled Akaashi in a tight embrace as the latter began to sob the same way he did almost a week ago, this time feeling more pain as the realization that Konoha was never coming back began to settle. “You’re better than that, Keiji. You don’t need a coward who can’t tell you things to your face, you don’t deserve cryptic letters. You deserve so much better, and I _know_ you know that, somewhere in there.”

 After soft sobbing turned into gentle sniffles, Akaashi rested his head against Suga’s shoulder and continued to feel his heart tangling with his stomach. Suga pulled away and held Akaashi’s cheeks to squish them together, attempting to make him feel better. “Do…do you want to kill him?” 

 Akaashi snorted. Here was an ex-philosophy major sitting on his bed, full of countless sayings and quotes that were more than appropriate and capable of making Akaashi feel ten times, if not, completely better, and Suga’s only comfort was to suggest murder. 

 “Four years as a philosophy major and your own consolation is to kill my ex-fiancé?”

 The stress on Suga’s face fell when he saw Akaashi’s smile. “I don’t even know what I did for those four years, and I _still_ don’t know what I’m doing. As William S. Borough once said, _‘Nobody owns life, but anyone who can pick up a frying pan owns death’._ ”

 “Meaning?”

 “Meaning…” Suga paused, “Please don’t ask me. I really don’t remember any of the four years I did.” 

 Akaashi let out another snotty laugh before pushing him aside. “I thought you were trying to convince me to get dressed.”

 “I was! But you interrupted my efforts and I had to be the night in shining armor when it came to your trauma.”

 “Whatever would I do without you?”

 “A better question is what would you do without _me?”_ Oikawa asked drunkenly, walking in the room as he picked up the heart-shaped box. “Kei-chan, come help me burn this in the kitchen and let’s take _more_ shots.” 

 

Akaashi can remember the last time he had been at a club, and it should be no surprise that the last time he frequented this one, in particular, was when he shared his apartment with Konoha. That being said, it made sense for Akaashi to feel anxious in the club and feel more butterflies than usual when there was alcohol involved. 

 The trio is lucky enough to obtain a table before anyone else could, which was where Akaashi found himself staying at. He didn’t drink as much as he thought he would, considering they had stopped for fast food a while back. He sighed and swirled the sweet drink around in his glass before he figured he didn’t want to drink something sweet anymore. Getting up from the table, he walked over to Oikawa and Suga, who were dancing and socializing with others. 

 “I’m going to the bar,” Akaashi tried to communicate over the loud house music, “I’ll be right back!” 

 Oikawa gave him a wink in acknowledgment and Suga nodded him away with a smile. The worst part of the night was probably commuting to and fro the bar, shoving himself past sweaty patrons in order to get his drink. When he arrived at the bar, the bartender gave him a knowing smile, making Akaashi rack in his brain to find some connection. 

 He took his time to look him up and down, to try and find anything that was familiar about him, but the silver hair, green eyes, and terrifying height did nothing to ring Akaashi’s memory. 

 “What can I get you?” He asked with a smile. 

 “Um—“

 “Oop! Actually, this is for you.” The bartender interrupted cheekily as he brought out a drink that had just been completed. “The guy up there sent it. On the house.” 

 “Thank you.” Akaashi blinked, taking his drink in hand before trying to look up at the balcony. It was dark and he just barely saw a face with club lights slightly flashing over.

 “Come back when you need a refill!” The bartender yelled, waving him away as Akaashi shuffled through the crowd once again.

 Akaashi was well-aware of the drugging of drinks, and the suspicious bartender didn’t give him too much faith to play with. He dipped his tongue just slightly in the glass to taste any lingering saltiness that might allude to the tampering of the drink’s recipe, but the taste resembles one well made instead of one altered with another motive in mind. 

 “What on Earth are you drinking?” Oikawa asked suddenly. 

 “I don’t know?” Akaashi added unconvincingly. 

 “You don’t know? Are you just picking up random drinks and taking them?”

 “No, I mean, when I got there the bartender told me that someone from the balcony sent me a drink. So I took it.”

 “My sweet baby Keiji, already seducing the bar patrons.” Oikawa cooed, smushing Akaashi cheeks together to place a disgustingly wet kiss on his forehead. “Go see if he’s cute. I’m going to call Iwa-chan.”

 Akaashi huffed, “But you said—“

 “It’s a dicking emergency!” 

 Akaashi puffed air out and pursed his lips before he looked to the bar. He’s a bit jealous that Suga was able to speak and make friends so easily, and now that Oikawa was going to be smothered by his bara of a boyfriend, it left him no choice but to retreat to the bar. He made eye contact with the bartender, who gave him another (creepy) smile before turning to one of the other mixologists. By the time he arrived at the bar, the bartender gave him another drink

 “How did you—“

 “It’s my job!” 

 Akaashi stood at the bar for a little longer before he turned to see the absence of crossed legs in the balcony. He turned back to his drink and looked at the bartender, feeling a little guilty that he didn’t know his name. 

 “What’s your name again? I don’t see a name tag.”

 “Lev. Haiba Lev.”

 “I’m Akaashi Keiji.” He introduced more out of reflex. Socializing, he found, was much more tiring.

 “Nice to meet you, do you like your drink? Or are you more of a sweet drink kind of guy?”

 “No, this is good. I can only drink so many sweet things before I start to feel guilty.” 

 “A hot guy like you? You shouldn’t worry about trivial things like that.” Lev added as if it was nothing, making Akaashi a bit uncomfortable.

 “Say, Lev, do you know who’s been sending me my drinks? Was it the guy up in the balcony?”

 “That’s the one, a secret admirer if you will. He owns the place, so you don’t have to worry about the price.” 

 “O-oh.” Akaashi’s guilt was only multiplied when he felt only _more_ like a burden. “Uh—“

 “Don’t worry about it! Stuff like this doesn’t even begin to put a _dent_ in boss’ wallet!” 

 This didn’t make Akaashi feel better in the slightest. He chewed on his lower lip and shifted his sights around the club, trying to find anyone old enough to even look like a club owner, but it looked like there was no one under 28 in the club alone. He turned back to Lev, who had another drink ready for him. Without any second thought, now that the alcohol was beginning to lower his inhibitions, he took it and continued to drink. “Do you know where he is?”

 “He might pop in sometime soon, who knows. He’s the boss, he kind of does whatever he wants. Don’t worry, you’ll probably see him soon or something.” Lev looked at the ceiling, “Ah, maybe not. It is Friday. But good luck! I’ll be here if you’re still thirsty!” 

 Akaashi nodded his head and turned his back to the bar, only to find Oikawa pulling him onto the dance floor. “Kei-chan! Dance with me before Iwa-chan gets here.” 

 Already halfway into his third drink, Akaashi gave a big smile and nodded. “Okay.” 

 His empty glass had miraculously disappeared by the time he was beginning to feel himself at the dance floor. He hated to admit it, but he was enjoying his time here, and although Oikawa was only being a _little_ gross when Iwaizumi came, he still continued to have fun. Parched from his strenuous activity, he turned to go back to the bar, not before bumping into a strong chest.

 “Ow.” Akaashi groaned to himself quietly. 

 “Oh fuck, I’m so sorry. You’re not hurt, are you?”

 Akaashi looked up to find a pair of golden eyes glimmering in even the worst of lighting. With an intimidating stance with a soft look to alter it, Akaashi nodded dumbly and hoped it wasn’t obvious that he found the man incredibly attractive. 

 “I’m…good. Sorry, I wasn’t looking, I was just headed to the bar.”

 “So was I. Let me get you a drink to apologize for nearly giving you a concussion.” The stranger added jovially. 

 “Don’t worry about it, it really didn’t hurt all that bad I was just—“

 “Hey, don’t freak! Just a drink, it’ll be nothing, I promise.” 

 Akaashi may be drunk, the club may be dark, and his eyesight may be shot, but Akaashi was not stupid, and he could identify a gang member a mile away. His complacency definitely came from the alcohol, but also from fear of being taken or beaten up. However, when the stranger took his hand, it didn’t feel like he was being forcefully taken away but rather being guided with a loose grip, as if he was telling Akaashi that he could pull away whenever he wanted. Stupidly, he didn’t. Akaashi smiled at Lev, cherishing their newfound friendship over alcohol as he stood at the bar and watched the stranger speak. 

 Akaashi watched as the stranger’s jaw flexes and relaxes as he spoke before traveling down the expanse of his strong neck and stronger shoulders. If Akaashi’s predictions happened to be correct, he’d mention how well dressed this stranger is. It’s nothing show-stopping, and it’s definitely not something that would be found on Tokyo’s Fashion Week, but the stranger holding his hand definitely knew what fit him from all angles. As Akaashi looked lower, he found something rather strange hiding behind the stranger's jacket, something that too closely resembled a gun holster. If Akaashi were a normal person, he would’ve never found it, but it’s nights like these where he cursed his inane attention to details. 

“Hello?”

 “Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to ogle.”

 The stranger threw his head back to laugh, handing him the glass. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind being ogled if it’s someone as pretty as you.”

 Akaashi simply _burned_ under his cheeks, taking the shot glass in hand before clinking it with the stranger. He tilted his head back and his throat burned along with his face. _Tequila._

 “Oh God.” Akaashi coughed. 

 “Not a fan of tequila?” The stranger chuckles.

 “Not particularly since college, no. But thank you anyway, you didn’t have to do that…” Akaashi trailed off in hopes he recognized a blank for a name. And he did, a few seconds later.

 “Shit, sorry.” The stranger laughed again, “I’m Bokuto Koutarou, I should’ve introduced myself earlier but I completely forgot. I was just concerned that I hit your head too hard.”

 “Akaashi Keiji. You didn’t hit my head too hard, or else I wouldn’t have remembered my name.” Akaashi smiled, “Thank you, Bokuto-san.” 

 “It’s on me. Would you like another drink, maybe?” 

 Akaashi shook his head, “No thank you, I wouldn’t want to impose. Also, I’d feel extremely horrible if you kept paying for my drinks.”

 “Money isn’t the problem, you don’t have to worry about that.” Bokuto beamed. “But I’ll let you get on with your friends if you’d like.”

  _Who the fuck is this dude, who the fuck does he think he is trying to charm me? And_ ** _fuck_** _, why is he so_ ** _good_** _at it?_ Akaashi took his time to connect the dots, from when he thought he heard Lev call Bokuto boss, to matching the vague memory of seeing a face from the balcony. 

 “Fuck, you’re the guy who sent me drinks earlier!” Akaashi said, much too loudly and much too obnoxiously. Surprising himself completely, he covered his mouth and bowed at a ninety-degree angle. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—that was so embarrassing, I don’t know why I yelled it that loud, I’m usually not that obnoxious I swear—“

 “You freak out _a lot.”_ The other man laughed, “It’s cute. Yeah, that was me. I was talking about it earlier with Lev, but I guess you weren’t paying too much attention, considering you were…what was the word? Ogling?”

  _Christ Almighty and all twelve of his Apostles, please remove me from this Earth._ Sober Akaashi cried from deep within. “Jesus, I really am…drunk.” 

 “I probably should’ve offered you some water instead of another drink, here.” Bokuto turned around and Lev knowingly passed him a bottle of water while paying attention to another customer. “I guess sobering you up would probably be the best idea.” 

 Akaashi smiled sheepishly and grabbed the bottle to begin drinking quietly. The music at this point gets louder, to the point where Akaashi gave Bokuto a confused look when he couldn’t hear him completely. Akaashi saw that he visibly sighed, to which he placed a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder to pull him in closer, speaking normally in his ear. It sent a chill down his neck, making Akaashi forget that he had to listen to his words in order to reply. 

 “Do you want to talk somewhere quieter?”

 Akaashi pulled away and looked for his friends. Suga was laughing with a pair of strangers and Oikawa was being distasteful with his now equally drunk boyfriend. Akaashi sighed and looked back to Bokuto with a smile, nodding. Bokuto mirrored his smile and pulled his hand just as gently as he had before, giving him the same loose opportunity to leave if he really wanted to. With the crowd they were surrounded by, it would be incredibly easy for Akaashi to slip, disappear, and tell his friends that he wanted to go home. Blindly, however, Akaashi followed. 

 The two men make it up to the balcony and Akaashi noticed that it was a bit easier to hear Bokuto speak to the two strangers by his head. He made eye contact with the shorter one, but only briefly as he put his attention back to his cell phone. The other, much taller one, gave Akaashi a slimy grin, making Akaashi uncomfortable. Bokuto seemed to pick up on this and gave them a knowing look, making the two men next to him disperse in a room next to them. 

 “Sorry about them!” Bokuto smiled brightly, “They’re oglers as well.” 

 “Are they your friends?” 

 “Uh, yeah. Coworkers too, ya know? We’re pretty close outside of the job too.”

 “That’s nice.” Akaashi drifted off, looking at the club goers below him. The bravery that the alcohol provided Akaashi was convenient, but with his metabolism, it proved that it took him a shorter amount of time to sober up. He wasn’t sober, not in the slightest, but his usual apprehensive personality seems to be returning and Akaashi couldn’t help but curse it away internally. With whatever courage he had left, he spun to face the man who had been showing him such chivalry, much too quickly judging by the surprise on his face. “What makes a yakuza want to own a club?”

 The question threw Bokuto off by a surprise, but once it faded, he gave Akaashi a knowing smile. “Yakuza, huh?” 

 “It’s a hypothesis. The gun holster doesn’t really help your case either, you know.”

 “It’s empty if it makes you feel any better.” 

 Akaashi kept a brief moment of silence, “It…definitely doesn’t make me feel _worse._ ”

 Bokuto snorted, “You said the gun holster didn’t help my case. What else was something that caught your eye?” 

 “Naturally I feel like people would say something like your hair, and maybe this is a bit gay for me to say, but I think it’s the outfit choice.”

 “What?” Bokuto playfully pouted and looked down at his shirt, “What’s wrong with it? This is my favorite shirt.” 

 Boldly, Akaashi leaned forward and touched the fabric of the t-shirt, giving a judging tsk. “I mean, maybe I’m just being dramatic and stereotypical, and it’s not _too_ bad it’s just—why do you look more like an exec than a yakuza?”

 Bokuto grinned and took Akaashi’s hand, threading their fingers together as he gave it a slight squeeze. “It’s to see if anyone asks.”

 If Akaashi thought he was burning before, he was cooked well-done, perhaps even to a crisp now. His heart was simply bursting through his ribcage, threatening to burst through dense bone. In fact, it’s so deafening that Akaashi worried he may be on the verge of a panic attack instead of suffering from the results of flattery. Suddenly, Akaashi found himself on his feet while Bokuto leaned into his ear. 

 “Do you want to go dance? Maybe?” 

 The alcohol on Bokuto’s tongue intoxicated Akaashi even more, the mixture of sweet drinks and expensive cologne made Akaashi find his knees buckling from under him. He wanted to say no, he’s a _gang_ member for Christ’s sake, someone who could easily _kill_ him if Akaashi even made the slightest wrong move. Regardless, it didn’t stop him from following closely behind. 

 It was overwhelming at first and Akaashi will admit he felt self-conscious. He felt as if all eyes were on him, and in a way, they were considering he was most likely the only one in the entire club who didn’t know who Bokuto Koutarou really was. He found himself looking down at the floor more often than not, trying to ignore the glares he thought he was making up. However, Bokuto has no intention in having Akaashi look at the floor the whole night, and grabbed his face in his hands, forcing Akaashi to make eye contact.

 “What’s the floor got that’s so interesting?” 

 Akaashi laughed after he realized his fears sounded silly out loud, “Nothing. I think the alcohol made me paranoid, that’s all.”

 “Why’s that?”

 “It’s been a while since I’ve danced at a club before, I just feel like I’m being watched, that’s all.”

 “If that’s the case,” Bokuto took Akaashi’s arms and wrapped them around his neck so that Akaashi was pressed against his chest, “Then just keep looking at me.” 

 Poor, poor Keiji just couldn’t deal with it. If it had been the proximity alone that was bothering him, there would’ve been an easy fix. But rather the distance that was left _,_ the sheer electricity culminating between them that was causing Akaashi’s head to spin in pure lust. Perhaps Bokuto felt it as well, providing an explanation as to why he later pulled Akaashi into a kiss. 

 The dizziness only worsens _,_ as if Akaashi couldn’t get close _enough_ , as if being pressed against Bokuto was the only way to cure him. It took seconds for him to realize that they were back up in the balcony only after dancing to a few songs, and Akaashi found himself perched on Bokuto’s lap, desperately grasping at stiffened strands of hair. Bokuto’s hands found purchase on Akaashi’s hips, pulling their groins together almost to remind Akaashi of what it was like to be caressed so intimately. 

Breaking away with a gasp, Bokuto moved his mouth down his neck, sinking his teeth into Akaashi neck. “It has been a while, huh?”

Akaashi blushed deeply, the sudden warmth in his neck making Bokuto laugh and press a kiss into a dully formed hickey. Akaashi wasn’t sure, but he thinks he heard Bokuto say something along the lines of _so cute_ but the music was too loud for him to make sure and he sure as _hell_ wasn’t going to ask him to repeat it. 

The hands that Akaashi found on his hips moved to his hair, where Bokuto gently pulled Akaashi in for a soft peck before he moved his lips down his jawline to his ear, where he tickled it with a slight chuckle. “Would you like to come home with me?” 

Akaashi heart came to a sudden halt. One thing was to mess around in a club balcony and go home after, another thing was to follow a stranger for a one night stand and go home in a taxi in the clothes you wore yesterday. For a moment, the alcohol that once clouded Akaashi’s judgment begins to clear. He wanted this, and if he were to be dramatic, he might even argue that he _needed_ it.

Akaashi nodded his head and smiled, pressing their lips together once more before Bokuto pulled him up. 

 

 


	3. Do What You Wish, It's Yours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sleepy....just finished watching into the spider-verse....so much crying....
> 
> happy holidays everyone! here is a smutty gift for thee

There were several things going through Akaashi’s head as Bokuto kissed him, but for time’s sake, he’ll reduce them to two. One, Bokuto was a _really_ good kisser. Although they were both sloppy drunk in some form or another, Akaashi found that the way Bokuto kissed him was _perfect_ , the right amount of passion and the right amount of tongue that drove him up a wall (and made him constrain against his pants). Two, Bokuto’s apartment was _huge._ He gathered peeks of it when Bokuto lead him through the front door, but it wasn’t for long considering they had other plans to fulfill in the bedroom. 

The burden on Akaashi’s shoulders began to sink deeper. Bokuto was rich, filthy fucking rich judging by the silk he’s being laid across on. The bed was enough for Akaashi to sink into completely, relaxing his muscles enough to trick him into thinking he was tired, but the constant drum of his heart kept him hyper-aware. 

Bokuto and Akaashi pull away momentarily for what Akaashi can only assume is to take off their clothing. However, Bokuto surprised him when he laughed and ran his fingers through Akaashi’s curls. Akaashi tried to hide his blush under a look of confusion.

“What—?”

“You look scared.” He laughed softly. Bokuto leaned in to press a kiss in between Akaashi’s eyebrows.”You know you’re more than welcome to leave, right? I won’t kill you.”

Akaashi’s felt his soul drip from his fingertips. He watched as Bokuto cocked his head to the side, waiting for his response, but he was too distracted to reply coherently. “Um—“

Bokuto let out another laugh, this time a bit louder than his previous, softer one. “No way! Did you really think I’d kill you for giving me blue balls?!” 

“Listen! You have a gun holster on your belt!” Akaashi quickly defended, but it was no use considering Bokuto was still laughing his heart out on the bed. Impulsively, Akaashi pounded a fist on his chest, to which he groaned playfully before giving Akaashi another smile. 

Splayed out next to him, Bokuto looked over at Akaashi endearingly. Akaashi sat up on the bed and watched as Bokuto sat up with him, kneeling in front of him and gingerly taking his head into his hands. Instinctively, Akaashi leaned into the touch and relished in the smell of Bokuto’s cologne. Perhaps it had been far too long since Akaashi had been caressed. Even in the darkness, Akaashi could feel the intensity coming from his eyes before he gave another mischievous smile. 

“Is there something on my face?” Akaashi asked nervously. Fuck, he hoped he didn’t smell too much like alcohol. Maybe Bokuto thought that this was a mistake instead— 

“Nope.” He suddenly replied, breaking into Akaashi’s slight panic, “Just admiring.” 

Their lips connected once more and Akaashi found this kiss to be more urgent, more demanding almost, but never forceful. Just like the gentle grip in the club, Bokuto gave him space to make sure he was able to pull away whenever he wanted, always making sure that Akaashi was in control of the situation. Although he had control, Akaashi wasn’t entirely sure what to _do_ with all of it. Bokuto perhaps took notice in this as he moved his lips down his neck and down exposed skin, playing with the hem of Akaashi shirt as he gasped. 

“May I?”

Akaashi nodded and felt his shirt being pulled from his head. Bokuto took time to look Akaashi up and down, the attention almost bordering on unwanted as Akaashi crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Take a picture it lasts longer,” Akaashi mumbled feeling blood blooming across his face, not entirely sure if it’s alcohol consumption or pure embarrassment. He heard Bokuto chuckle before he took his wrists in his hand, pressing him against the bed. 

Bokuto took his time pressing his lips down the expanse of his chest, running his tongue lightly over a nipple. Akaashi choked down a moan and gasped instead, hands digging into Bokuto’s hair once again. “You’re so pretty, maybe next time I will take pictures. If you’ll let me, at least.”

Akaashi was dizzy even thinking about a next time. Before he could argue, Bokuto’s teeth found themselves scraping just slightly at Akaashi forgotten nipple. It was then when Akaashi couldn’t bite back his whimper. “Of course, they’d only be for me. I don’t think I could handle someone else looking at you like this, because _fuck,_ you’re gorgeous.” 

“Jesus, do you ever stop talking?” Akaashi pushed Bokuto so that he sat on his knees. Confused, Akaashi pressed their lips together again, making Bokuto snort in their kiss. 

“I’m just trying to make you feel better,” He said in between their kiss. “It’s not,” _kiss_. “My fault,” _kiss_ , “That you’re shaking,” _kiss_. “Like a leaf on a tree.” 

“However,” Bokuto finally pulled away, “If you’re feeling more comfortable, I’d be _more_ than happy to talk about how I’d love to be buried balls deep in your tight ass.” 

Akaashi gaped at Bokuto, to which the older man grinned. “Where’s that bravery now, huh?”

“Unbelievable,” Akaashi began to unbutton Bokuto’s shirt with trembling fingers, “you’re _still_ talking.” 

“Then make me shut up.” He quipped in return, removing his white shirt and revealing the toned chest Akaashi remembered. He ran his hand over the tattoo over his heart before he ran his hand down his torso. 

“My eyes are right here, Akaashi-kun,” Bokuto added, the grin still apparent on his face.

“You make it unbelievably difficult to hold back any contempt I may have for you.”

“Hate-fucking? That’s real kinky, Akaashi-kun. Didn’t think of you as the type.”

Akaashi groaned, “Please take your pants off, Bokuto-san, before I _actually_ change my mind.” 

“Yes, sir.”

Akaashi sat back on the bed’s headboard, watching as the larger man began to undo his belt buckle. Akaashi moved his eyes from Bokuto’s disheveled hair to his strong shoulders and chest, moving down the torso that convinced him that Bokuto was a regular gym attendee. When his eyes arrived below the belt, his eyes widened slightly before adjusting them quickly. 

“I saw that.” Bokuto grinned, pulling Akaashi in for another kiss. Akaashi scoffed in response as he felt him removing Akaashi’s pants. “Don’t worry, it’ll fit.”

Akaashi rolled his eyes before lifting his hips for easy removal of his jeans. “I think I’ve decided that I hate you.”

“Then this’ll be fun for the two of us, won’t it?” 

Akaashi racked in his brain for a reply, but before he could say anything witty, Bokuto’s hand closed around Akaashi length, gently applying pressure as he moved from base to tip. Akaashi let out a full moan this time, toes curling from the simplest touch. “Cute,” Bokuto mumbled again, leaving another bite on Akaashi’s neck before moving down to his leaking cock.

“How long as it been, Akaashi-kun? Since you’ve been touched like this?” Bokuto hummed, running his tongue from base to tip much like before, this time relishing in Akaashi’s whimpers. 

“A while.”

“I’m surprised.” Bokuto kissed Akaashi’s hipbones, thighs, and even caressed his knees with his lips. “I’m not kidding, you really are beautiful.” 

Akaashi felt mirth surrounding his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was just him being embarrassed again, or if he felt a little emotional. Bokuto didn’t give him much time to process his compliment before he put his attention back in between Akaashi legs, pressing kisses on Akaashi length before taking it in his mouth completely. Bokuto’s hands found purchase on his hips, pulling him closer as he took the entirety of his length in his mouth and down his throat. 

“ _Fuck_.” Akaashi stuttered, his hips moving into Bokuto’s mouth, taking him like it was nothing. Hazy and desperate, Akaashi whined when Bokuto pulled his mouth off, listening to him chuckle before reaching in the drawer next to him.

“Relax,” Bokuto said with a peck to his cheek, “I’ll do something better.”

Akaashi can’t imagine that there isn’t anything remotely better. The pop of the lube cap always liked to prove him wrong, though. Bokuto’s thick finger found itself prodding around Akaashi’s hole, pushing in gently and gauging Akaashi’s reaction before continuing to pump it in and out. “How’s that, is that okay?”

“Good.” Akaashi hummed. Bokuto just barely angled his finger and Akaashi felt like every bundle of nerve was on fire. He let out another curse, much louder this time, and twisted in Bokuto’s hold. “ _Fuck_!” 

“There you are.” Bokuto smiled, “Much easier to find than I thought.” 

Bokuto moved back to Akaashi’s cock, bringing it back to his mouth and sucking happily as he gently added another finger. Akaashi found himself breathing heavily, trying to find anything to grasp on before threading his fingers with Bokuto’s free hand, “Bokuto-san, if you keep doing that I won’t be able to— _oh my_ —“

“Sorry, dick in my mouth. What was that?” 

Akaashi looked down to see Bokuto resting gently against Akaashi’s thigh with a smug smile. Akaashi huffed out a breath of air before laughing quietly. “Never mind.” 

Bokuto moved back up to kiss Akaashi again, thinking that this kiss couldn’t be something Akaashi could ever forget, more so if Bokuto continued to rock his fingers into his hole. Every so often, Akaashi would moan in his mouth. Had it not been for the fact his mouth was occupied, Akaashi worried he would’ve been ten times louder. With a final peck that he can only describe as sweet and tender, Bokuto pulled away again to situate himself in between Akaashi’s legs. He reached for the lube he had taken out previously after rolling the condom on his length, slightly darker than Akaashi’s, a dark, blooming red on the tip with a vein running down the side. Akaashi wondered what it would be like to have it in his mouth.

“Are you okay?” Bokuto asked gently, pushing away sweaty hairs that seemed to stick on Akaashi’s forehead. 

Akaashi nodded, “I’m fine, just…put it in.” 

Bokuto didn’t waste any time in pressing the tip of his cock against Akaashi’s hole. Slowly, he sunk into a tight, wet heat until he was in completely. Bokuto cursed to himself, his hands on either side of Akaashi’s head as his head hung just barely above Akaashi’s. “Sorry, tell me when?”

“Okay,” Akaashi took a deep breath. The burn wasn’t as bad considering his ass had been begging for it for the past five minutes, but it was still there, and he still needed time to adjust to it. “K—Kiss me?”

Akaashi hadn’t meant for it to sound like a question. He didn’t want to make it look like Akaashi was regretting anything or that he was still afraid—although he was—because he wanted to let Bokuto know that he wanted this more than anything in the _world_ right now. Regardless, Bokuto wasted no time in connecting their lips together, softly at first as if Bokuto was afraid Akaashi was going to break. The soft sound of their lips moving against each other’s was the only thing that filled the room, along with the sounds of the busy street coming from the window. If Akaashi had been foolish, stupid, and delusional, he would’ve thought that this was a scene of tenderness. Indeed, he was drunk, but Akaashi would never be the first to delude himself. 

“You can move now, Bokuto-san.” 

“Hmm,” A single peck to his jawline was placed before he began to move his hips out, “are you sure?”

Akaashi bit his lip to hold back a moan. “Positive.”

Bokuto pulled out until the tip was inside only, pushing in with a bit more force and smiling while listening to Akaashi gasp quietly. Their lips never once separated and Bokuto never failed to let Akaashi know how perfect he was, perhaps not vocally, but he expressed it in different kisses and caresses. If Bokuto wanted to compliment the look in his eyes, he would press a kiss whenever Akaashi closed his eyes. If Bokuto wanted to compliment how pretty Akaashi would look, he would press a kiss to his ear or to his jawline, opting to move down his neck whenever he could. 

The affections were more than appreciated, more than admired, but deep inside Akaashi felt his heart churn out the broken affections he had for Konoha. The affection, the pseudo love found hidden within lust began to make Akaahsi’s head spin with similarities. 

Before Akaashi could think himself any deeper into an abyss, he suddenly felt the absence of Bokuto inside him. He was being placed on his hands and knees, and Akaashi looked at him from behind with uncertainty before seeing Bokuto grin. He pressed a few kisses to his spine before realigning himself inside of him.

“Sorry baby, as much as I think you’re cute, I’d love a change of scenery.” 

“You could’ve just said so.”

“You were thinking too much over there, I thought it would be a nice surprise.” 

_Fuck._ So his internal panic was more than obvious. Before he could overthink anymore, the new angle Bokuto slid himself into was a sudden spark of pleasure, making Akaashi throw his head back into a loud groan. 

“I thought you’d like this better,” Bokuto laughed breathlessly before letting out a moan, “Fuck, Akaashi, you’re so fucking tight.” 

“Yeah? How about now?” Akaashi smiled, tightening just slightly enough to hear a hiss from behind him.

Akaashi gasped when he felt a hand around his neck, pulling him flush against Bokuto’s chest. “You’ve done it now.”

Akaashi cried out when he felt Bokuto pull out completely to slam against him in one single stroke, his moans coming out in choked sobs as Bokuto thrusted harder and harder.

“You think you’re so sly and witty, don’t you, Akaashi-kun? Where’s your silver tongue now that my cock’s fucking you the way you like?” 

“Fuck—Bokuto-san—fuck me harder, _please._ ” He cried, grasping at the hand around his neck while the other reached behind him to grab Bokuto’s hair. 

Bokuto laid Akaashi down on his stomach again, lifting his hips in the air while Akaashi’s face was smushed into the pillow, screaming obscenities he was sure his neighbor would hear. 

“Harder? Can you take harder, Keiji-kun?” 

Akaashi moaned at the sound of his first name, gripping silk sheets as the wet sounds of pleasure began to fill the room more and more. A certain thrust against his prostate him made him scream, sending a rush of thrill and pride through Bokuto’s body.

“Yes, fuck yes, right there, Bokuto-san _, please don’t stop._ ” 

“You like it here? What if I wanted to slow you down?” Bokuto asked dangerously, slowing his hips down and grinning as he watched Akaashi desperately trying to fuck himself. He held his Akaashi’s hips still, watching his knuckles turn white against the cream sheets. 

“Please don’t Bokuto-san, please, please—“

“Say my name then,” He hummed indifferently, “I’ve never been the one for honorifics.” 

If Akaashi hadn’t been seconds away from his orgasm, he would’ve turned around to choke Bokuto with his own two hands. Before he could sass the older man, he gave a sharp thrust that threw him off guard and made Akaashi hiss.

“I can’t hear yooouu, Keiji-kun.” He sang.

Tongue between his teeth, Akaashi finally sighed and turned on his back, grabbing Bokuto’s face and pulling him in for a rougher kiss. When they pulled away, Akaashi could barely say the words without turning red. “Please fuck me? Please Koutarou?” 

Akaashi watched Bokuto’s face turn slack in pure lust. “ _Shit_ , I’m going to fuck you until you don’t remember any name other than my own.”

Bokuto kept his promise, he returned Akaashi to their previous position before slamming into him with renewed vigor. Akaashi could barely find the effort within him to form words, much less Bokuto’s first name. But it came out in garbled sentences, sentences that made him embarrassed of losing his sanity. 

“ _Mm, Koutarou.”_ He moaned, “Koutarou, Koutarou, _fuck_ , _Koutaro.”_

“This was a bad idea, I know it.” Bokuto groaned behind him. He sat on his knees again, pulling Akaashi with him and making him impale himself on his cock time and time again. If Akaashi didn’t cum in the next second or two, Bokuto might beat him to it, and he _hated_ doing that. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi forgotten cock and gave it a few pumps, watching as Akaashi writhed in his touch, letting out moans louder that Bokuto could apologize for the next morning. With his cock in one hand and fingers on his nipple, Akaashi was overstimulated, delirious on lust as if he didn’t know how to live without a cock in him. He bounced again and again like his life depended on it, and in a way, he felt as if it did. 

“Fuck Keiji.” Bokuto moans, dangerously reaching his orgasm. 

“Koutaro I’m going to—“ His sentence is interrupted with another cry before Bokuto soothes him with a kiss to his shoulder. “I’m going to cum.” 

“Cum, baby.” As if Akaashi needed any permission to do so. Seconds later, Akaashi found his cock spurting strands of cum over his chest, quivering and chanting Bokuto’s name like it was the only word he knew. His ass tightened around Bokuto’s cock, almost making him see stars behind tightly shut eyelids. 

Bokuto pulled out quickly and gently pushed Akaashi back on his back, with the intention of finishing on his stomach, but Akaashi quickly swatted Bokuto’s hands away, taking the angry leaking cock in his hands. He wasn’t able to put the whole thing in his mouth, but he hallowed his cheeks around the cock with vigor, which was all Bokuto needed before he was coming in his mouth.

“Fuck! Fuck, Keiji, I’m—“ He lets out another hiss before feeling Akaashi suck around the sensitive tip. He shuddered as he removed Akaashi’s head from his twitching cock, taking stuttering breaths as he watched Keiji erotically stick his tongue out (which wasn’t his intention, he actually wanted a place to spit). 

Bokuto smashed his lips onto Akaashi before he could say anything else, cum in both of their mouths and leaving a string between their lips after they pulled away. When they were finished, they laid on the side of each other, breathing heavily as they watched clouds move over the moon. Bokuto was first to break the silence with a smile, turning on his side and pushing wet hair from Akaashi’s face. 

“That was good for you too, right? I’d feel bad if it wasn’t.”

“No it was great, it was…very…good,” Akaashi said, still very fucked out.

Bokuto laughed and pulled the sheets over the younger man. “Silver tongue too heavy?” 

Akaashi’s eyelids fell closed as he hummed, “Fuck you.” 

“Tomorrow maybe. Don’t be surprised if I wake you up with my tongue in your ass.”

“What’s stopping you from doing it now?” Akaashi peeked through his eyelashes with a grin. Bokuto was already under the sheets.

“It’s fucking _on,_ Akaashi-kun.” 

 

 

Akaashi groaned as he turned around in soft sheets. He was half conscious at this point, sinking deliciously on silk sheets and a soft mattress. It almost made him forget about his pounding hangover, and it reminded him nothing of his mattress back home. _Nothing like his mattress from back home._ Akaashi’s eyes flashed wide open and looked at the sheets on top of him, much too expensive for his salary and the view of Tokyo much too luxurious for him to even dream about. 

“ _Fuck.”_ He winced to himself, painfully sitting up and staring at the sleeping body next to him. Memories of last night filled his mind and guilt began to sink deeper in his stomach. He began to remember the banter, the sex alone was enough to send him into a furious blush, but what stuck around his head the most were the displays of affection that sent Akaashi up a wall in the first place. 

Akaashi groaned quietly in his hands before deciding he had to get out of this building as soon as he could. He watched as Bokuto sighed in his sleep, turning to face Akaashi still asleep. Akaashi took a moment to watch as Bokuto’s strong back muscles flex and relax as he breathed before he decided to get out of the apartment completely. He searched for his clothing endlessly, shoving on day old clothes that still reeked of alcohol and sweat before closing the bedroom door behind him just gently enough that it didn’t make a sound. 

What waited for Akaashi was overwhelming, the size of the apartment alone was enough to make him feel dizzy and almost lost. He cautiously stepped around the house fast enough before he could be caught by Bokuto, however, two men stood in his kitchen, the taller one giving him a grin while the shorter one gave him a small glance.

“Well, well, I’m assuming you’re not staying for breakfast?” The taller one asked. Akaashi recognized them from the club last night and his stomach churned in embarrassment.

“Um, no. I’m not, sorry.”

“You made quite the ruckus last night, you know?” 

“Kuroo, leave him alone.” The shorter one mentioned almost lazily as if he did this kind of thing all the time. 

Akaashi bowed his head before shuffling, “Sorry I’ve got to go—“, due to his quick shuffling, Akaashi nearly tripped on his own feet, face feverish with shame as he ran to the front door to put on his shoes. 

Once he reached the elevator, Akaashi leaned against the handlebar and tried to swallow the vomit that threatened to push past his esophagus. He took several deep breaths before running and pushing past several people in expensive suits, vomiting in a bush in front of the apartment building. Akaashi groaned and tried his best to ignore the glares he was receiving from businessmen and their wives as he stood on his trembling knees. Lucky enough for him, the sun was hiding behind a thick overcast, so Akaashi's headache was reduced to one that could’ve been much, much worse. 

The apartment complex, it seemed, wasn’t far off from the main street the club was on, making it easy for Akaashi to hail a cab and give directions to his apartment. Finally feeling safe from the glaring eyes belonging to the upper 1%, Akaashi rested his head against the seat and began to listen to his pounding headache. 

Truth be told, he felt disgusting. It wasn’t because of his hangover and it definitely wasn’t because he was in the clothing he wore yesterday. In fact, he feared that the disgust was stemming from disappointment. Akaashi had never been one for one night stands, much less with people he didn’t know, and especially a fucking gang member. Of course, the excuse could come up that Akaashi didn’t know how _any_ of this hook-up culture worked. He had been in a relationship since he was seventeen years old, missing out on anything that Akaashi could’ve learned in college. Now that he was left on his own for the first time, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do in any social situation considering he was expected to be the doting fiancé who made dinner every night and wait for his beloved to come home. 

Now that he found himself out of that position, he found himself without a purpose, confused with all of his free time, and definitely feeling worse that he used Bokuto as a rebound, even if he was positive that he would never see him again. 

Before he knew it, Akaashi found himself in front of his humble apartment complex. He sighed a breath of relief as he slid his card on the machine and made his way out, walking and petting a cat before he made it upstairs to his apartment. He couldn’t wait to get out of these clothes, shower, put on a pair of pajamas and go back to sleep—

“ _Keiji! Where the fuck have you been?!_ ” 

Akaashi slammed his head on the wall several times before kicking his shoes off and stomping to the living room to see Oikawa and Iwaizumi sitting his living room. One day, when Oikawa wasn’t looking, Akaashi would take the key he illegally copied. He rolled his eyes and made a gesture of annoyance.

“What? What the fuck do you want?” Ideally, Akaashi would be a bit more polite about these situations, but his ass was still in a considerable amount of pain, not to mention, Oikawa’s loud shrill voice didn’t help his headache at all. In other words, Akaashi was not in the mood to humor Oikawa. However, judging by the look on Oikawa’s face, he wasn’t in the mood to humor Akaashi either.

“Keiji, where _were_ you?!” Oikawa grabbed Akaashi’s face in his hands, “We were so worried! We saw you dance with some shady guy for two seconds, drink something with him, and that was literally the last time we saw you! Iwa-chan almost called the cops! You know how stupid Iwa-chan gets when he’s drunk!” 

“ _Watch it.”_ Iwaizumi warned, “We were worried that’s all. You kind of up and left without telling us or Koushi. It was actually _Koushi’s_ idea to call the police, I was just following his drunken orders.” 

“You heard him! Where were you?”

“I…” Akaashi gave Oikawa a look of uncertainty, “Out?”

Oikawa was getting ready to give Akaashi another lecture before he saw a mark on his neck. Oikawa gasped and grabbed Akaashi chin to move it into the light, revealing a litter of hickeys that marked the top of his neck to the beginnings of his chest. “Holy shit! Kei-chan!” 

“Does that answer your question?” Akaashi squinted, slapping Oikawa’s arm away.

“Was it consensual? Kei-chan did he take advantage of you? He looked like a brute!”

“Yes, it was consensual. He wasn’t a brute. He was nice.” Akaashi defended quietly. He shook his head, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before I left, that was really stupid of me, but I’m home now. Do you mind leaving so I can have just a _few_ moments to myself? Please?”

Iwaizumi took it upon himself to grab Oikawa from his shoulders and gestured him to front door, “Come on. He’s fine now, you said that’s all you wanted.”

“But, I want to know—“

“You’ll see him at work Monday.”

“Iwa-chan, you’re the one telling me no gossiping at work!”

“I’ll make an exception for you, how’s that sound?” He made eye contact behind Oikawa’s back with Akaashi and shook his head. Akaashi sent him a grateful look. Before Oikawa could leave, he pulled Akaashi in for a hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Keiji. I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure.”

“I know. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Oikawa grinned at Akaashi before grabbing his butt, watching Akaashi’s face wince. “I knew you bottomed.”

“Get out!” 

“I’m going!”

Akaashi closed the door behind the couple and he sighed, resting his head against the door before going to his bathroom. He shed his clothes off and looked at himself in the mirror, groaning loudly when he saw the hickeys that ran from his neck down his thighs. He was thankful the weather was getting cooler at least, it was easier to hide under a scarf. He scratched his head and noticed writing on his wrist, a combination of numbers that looked to be a phone number and a tiny little note. 

_Just in case you leave without a piece of me ;)_

_Bo_

_xxx-xxxx_

Akaashi was certain that he left with several pieces of Bokuto. After his shower, he didn’t change into clothing immediately, finding that his cool sheets soothed his back and rear end enough to make his eyelids heavy. Before he knew it, he found himself nearly a deep sleep, not before he remembered how comfortable he felt in Bokuto’s strong arms.


	4. I'm Falling Down and Down

Akaashi stared at an open photoshop document for what seemed like hours. Focusing was beginning to become more challenging as he blinked several times and begged his eyes to focus on his document for at least two minutes. No avail. Akaashi also found it incredibly difficult to concentrate when there were eyes burning into his shoulder. Akaashi sighed loudly, hoping that Oikawa would take the hint. Oikawa, however, was dense and didn’t get the hint until Akaashi squeaked his chair towards him, causing Oikawa to turn his head away to play innocent. 

“Yes? Can I help you?”

“I’m just watching you. You’re very talented Kei-chan.” 

“Thanks. But my blank document and I know that you’re lying to us, Oikawa-san.”

Oikawa gave a loud exasperated sigh, “Kei-chan, _please._ I’m begging you for details.”

“You know everything already.”

“We both knew you’re a dirty stinky liar, Keiji-kun.” 

“Sue me.” 

“I will. I have a lawyer and he’s pretty good at this stuff.”

“You can’t just threaten me with your dad to sue me every time, Tooru.” Akaashi said with a snort, “I’m sure he likes me more at this point.” 

“Wrong. He likes Iwa-chan more these days.” He sighed. Just then, Iwaizumi walked out of his office with paperwork in his eyes, giving Oikawa a lift of an eyebrow under his glasses. 

“I see you have time to gossip, Oikawa-san. I look forward to your proposal this afternoon.” 

Akaashi mouthed his gratitude while Oikawa pouted. “Manager Iwa-chan can be so mean.” 

“With you as his boyfriend and his employee? I can only imagine.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Oikawa huffed. “Anyway, Kou and Dai-chan want to meet up for lunch. They want to see you alive.” 

Oikawa peered inside Akaashi’s shirt to see the healing hickeys partially covered with foundation. “That’s definitely not your shade, Kei-chan.”

“Could you _please_ act normal for two seconds?!” Akaashi huffed, “Had it not been for my love for you I would’ve reported you by now.”

“Lucky me. I’m just checking on your….what’d you call them? Bug bites?”

“I hate you, I hate you so much.”

“Oikawa-san.” Iwaizumi suddenly said from his office, “Please come and fix the mistakes in your proposal draft.”

“That asshole,” Oikawa grumbled, “He literally read it yesterday.”

 

After minimal distractions (thanks to Iwaizumi and his impeccable _Oikawa is being annoying_ radar), Akaashi ended up getting a good amount of work done before his lunch break. He yawned and stretched his neck before watching Oikawa come out of Iwaizumi’s office like a kicked puppy. The man plopped down on his office chair and groaned, rubbing his eyeballs and staring at his computer.

“I’m assuming it wasn’t a pleasant meeting.” Akaashi mentioned, watching as Oikawa dropped a stack of documents on his desk. The paperwork were full of annotations and even more red marks. Akaashi guilt multiplied.

“I think I’m gonna skip out on lunch today.” Oikawa grimaced, “Tell Koushi and Daichi I’m sorry for bailing."

“I can stay and help, Tooru. That… looks like quite a bit.”

“No, no, I’m fine. Go ahead, one of us has to go and give dirty details. I’ll see you at my place house for movie night, though, right?”

Akaashi nodded, “Yeah, I’m going. I’m leaving now, but I’ll try to come back early to try and help you before your proposal.”

“Don’t bother,” Oikawa grumbled, a bit too low for Akaashi to register. 

Akaashi put his coat on and watched as Iwaizumi rubbed his temples in his office. Akaashi feared that there might’ve been more substance in their meeting that surpassed the proposal, but Akaashi wouldn’t pry right away. He would let them cool down and maybe they’ll be better after work.

Akaashi sighed once the bitter wind bit across his nose. He cursed for not bringing his scarf this morning, having to make do with his turtleneck collar until he got to the café. Thankfully, the café wasn’t far off from their building, and he found himself arriving quicker than he had expected, seeing Suga and Daichi sitting in a corner. Suga smiled and waved in acknowledgment as Akaashi made it over. 

“Hi Keiji! It’s good to see that you’re _alive_.” Suga started with a grin, but deep down, Akaashi knew that Suga was nosier than Oikawa. The only difference was that Suga was good at hiding it, and he had special ways of prying out information from him.

“Yes, I’m alive. I’m so sorry about Friday night, I didn’t mean to freak you out. You or Daichi.”

“We were fine. I knew that you had left with that guy, I saw you leave. I was worried, I will admit, but you looked happy to leave, I think.” Suga looked to Daichi, “Although, now that I think about it, I think I did tell Iwaizumi-kun to call the police.”

“You told him to call me.” Daichi corrected. “And he almost did.” 

“Yes that was…my fault. Sorry. Anywho!” Suga began to give his suggestive glances towards Akaashi and he could already feel uncomfortable. Akaashi took a deep breath and began to poke at his sandwich. “Wait, where’s Tooru? I can’t have you recanting information if he’s not here. He was dying to know what happened too.”

“I think he and Iwaizumi-san had an argument about work, they were in his office for a while, and he didn’t look very happy. There was also a lot of paperwork involved about his proposal later on today, so he decided to stay.” Akaashi explained. “Also, I’m not recanting _anything._ I’m in public and I would love to enjoy my sandwich. Instead, Daichi-san, why don’t you tell me about your Friday evening?”

Daichi looked surprised to see anyone asking him about his day. Akaashi might’ve even described it as cute to see how excited he was to tell Akaashi all about how he and Iwaizumi went to go see the newest action movie before hitting the local community center to play a bit of volleyball with some coworkers. Akaashi nodded and added the sentiment when necessary, thinking about how nice it must’ve been to play volleyball after a while. 

“Oh, and then, Koushi came home because he was freaking out about you leaving. He wasn’t composed about the situation at all.” Daichi grinned as Suga blushed. “But I calmed him down, and told him I wouldn’t be placing a missing persons report until the next morning, and then, you came home the next morning according to Oikawa-san. Ridden with hickeys, apparently, but that’s none of my business, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“Oh my God, maybe it was a mistake to ask you how your night went.” Akaashi groaned, rubbing his forehead harshly. 

“I’m not judging. Kou is though, I can feel him radiating with curiosity right next to me.”

“I think it’s so endearing…” Suga hummed, “that you never know when to stop talking.”

“I do know when. Akaashi has the right to know you’re annoying sometimes.” Daichi beamed. 

Suga rolled his eyes and put his attention back to back to Akaashi. “Okay, I’ll give it up for now. But can you blame me? Realistically. Our first club outing in _years,_ you disappearing from under my nose when I said that I would take care of you, and then coming back supposedly after a one night stand?”

“I _know_ , I know. I’m so sorry. I’ll admit that I was in the wrong and I should’ve texted you guys at least but I wasn’t even thinking and I fucked up. I’m sorry.”

“It’s completely fine, Keiji, just shoot us a text next time.” Suga smiled. “Anyway, are you still okay to come over for movies? I figured Oikawa might need the time away from Iwaizumi tonight.”

Akaashi raised his eyebrow, “What makes you say that?” 

“This.” Suga raised his phone to reveal a message from Oikawa, looking strangely out of character. 

_Do you think we can move movie night to your place maybe?_

No emoticons, no affectionate nicknames, Akaashi grimaced as he realized that perhaps his suspicions were true about an underlying argument. “Not good.”

“Not good indeed. But, knowing Tooru, all he needs is a glass of Riesling for him to cry it out. Maybe considerably less seeing the lack of emojis and the use of proper grammar.” 

“I hope you’re ready to have him in your apartment.”

“Rather mine than yours. He burnt everything in your house on Friday.”

Akaashi pouted, “Don’t remind me.”

 

 

When Akaashi returned to the office right after lunch, he noticed that the mood was still off, but that Oikawa was trying to mask it the best he could with a pseudo smile he only saw when he was upset. Just as Oikawa had learned Akaashi mannerisms, Akaashi had done the same for him as well, resulting in a very perceptive friendship that often went beyond words for the two of them. Iwaizumi, however, still needed practice when it came to hiding his bad moods. He was a bit put aside, more so than usual, and spent more time in his office and very obviously avoided eye contact with Oikawa, which only made Akaashi even more uncomfortable when he would make eye contact with Iwaizumi passing by, to which Iwaizumi gave a pressed lip acknowledgment, not quite a smile, not quite a grimace. Something in between. 

Even then, Akaashi helped Oikawa prepare for his proposal in the afternoon, to which he executed perfectly like he knew he would. There was no praise from Iwaizumi, just a stern, _we’ll catch up next week_ , as he left the room. Akaashi could tell that Oikawa was trying his best not to look deflated, but when he turned over to look at him, Oikawa gave him a smile. 

The end of the day came around, Akaashi again waited for Oikawa next to his desk, swaying back in forth in his chair as he watched Oikawa finish his documents and save his work. When he was finished, Oikawa leaned back and gave a yawn, not before scratching the back of his head and stretching over his chair. 

“All done! You didn’t have to wait for me, Keiji-kun! I could’ve managed.”

“It’s fine. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to head to the convenience store with me before we went to Koushi’s.” 

“Hm? Oh, that’s sounds good! I have to head home first if that’s okay—“

Just then, Iwaizumi stepped out of his office, made brief eye contact and flexed his jaw. “See you at home? Later?” 

“Yeah. That’s fine.”

“Okay.” 

Oikawa blinked before turning his attention back to Akaashi, stretching a smile over his face. “Yeah, so! I’m ready to go if you are.”

Akaashi took a deep breath as he tried to ignore the sudden mood change, but he returned Oikawa’s smile as well. “Sure.” 

Automatically, Akaashi found it strange that they took the elevator all the way to the garage, watching Oikawa fish his car keys out of his pocket before he unlocked his car. Akaashi tried to keep his concern to himself and even further confirmed that whatever Iwaizumi and Oikawa were arguing about earlier started at home considering Oikawa only ever took his car if he was mad at Iwaizumi, absolutely refusing to be stuck in a car with him for the commute. 

Akaashi sat in the warm car and watched as Oikawa threw his bag in the backseat, always wondering how he managed to keep his car impeccably clean. 

“Do you want to go to the convenience store first or—?”

“We can go to the store first, I think there’s a 7-11 somewhere over here, I think it might actually be on the way home.” 

The ride to the store was quiet, and Akaashi found himself staring at his phone more often than not. When they arrived at the convenience store, Oikawa offered to out and buy the snacks himself, telling Akaashi that it was too cold and that one of them should wait in the car to keep it warm and running. When he returned moments later, Akaashi tried his best to keep his snort back, observing Oikawa put the case of beer and two bottles of wine in the back of his car. 

“Thirsty?” Akaashi poked.

“Parched.”

Akaashi sighed, “I’m not going to ask about it, because I know you hate talking about it like this, but I’m not stupid, Tooru.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“What, are you going to snap at me now too?” 

Akaashi raised an eyebrow as Oikawa groaned, hitting his head on the steering wheel hard enough for it to honk. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go to your place to get whatever you need, and you can cry all you want at Koushi’s house.”

“I’m not gonna cry,” Oikawa grumbled, looking at the back-up mirror as he backed out of the parking lot. 

The stop at Oikawa’s house took longer than Akaashi thought. He sat in the garage, car turned off, and waiting for Oikawa to return. He wondered what he was getting and what on Earth he would need that it would take an extra five minutes for him to return to the car. Akaashi’s attention was torn from his phone when he heard the yelling coming from behind the garage door. Oikawa suddenly appeared and Akaashi saw Iwaizumi in lounge apparel for a brief second, looking as exasperated as Oikawa as he slammed the door in his face. Oikawa shoved a duffel bag in the trunk of his car and slammed it shut once again, turning his car on and barely waiting for the garage door to open before he found himself driving out.

“Um—“

“Please don’t ask anything.” Oikawa sniffled. 

Akaashi grimaced and squeezed the back of Oikawa’s neck affectionately, “Okay.” 

 

When they finally arrived at Suga’s house, it was well past seven o’clock, but Akaashi made sure to send Suga a message that Oikawa was sensitive, and that they would be a little late (and to not mention Oikawa’s tear-ridden face). Daichi was the one who answered the door, smiling knowingly before letting them in, Suga already flipping through Netflix titles to find what they would watch for the night. 

“Hey! I didn’t see you guys come in, sorry. Tooru, you can put the drinks in the fridge if you want. I cleared a space.” 

“Big enough for these?” Oikawa asked, nudging the case of bear and two wine bottles. Suga gave him a condescending look. 

“I know you better than I know my own fiancé. Put them in the fridge.” 

“Speaking of me, I’m leaving, baby.” Daichi gave Suga a sweet kiss before playfully yanking his nose. “Text me when.”

“Will do. I love you.”

“Love you more!” Daichi yelled before the door closed. Akaashi looked over to see Oikawa faking a gag and rolling his eyes. He would mention that Oikawa and Iwaizumi were worse when it came to PDA, but it seemed that anything beginning with Iwa- seemed to be forbidden for the night. 

“I’m feeling a scary movie tonight, is that okay with you guys?”

“I’m feeling tequila and I _know_ you have some, Kou-chan.”

“Oikawa, it’s fucking _Monday._ You have work tomorrow.”

“I’ll call in sick. I don’t care.”

“I do. Open the wine before I kill you.”

Oikawa pouted and took out the wine opener before Suga made eye contact with Akaashi, rolling his eyes and sitting on the couch. Akaashi could tell that this would be the beginning of a very, _very_ long night. 

With Oikawa finally restrained to his beloved Riesling, he sat on the couch, barely watching the movie as he was restrained to his cell phone, texting furiously from what Akaashi could see from the corner of his eye. The blue light began to bother him, and finally, Akaashi took his phone into his hands and held it in his lap. Oikawa began to give him a glare, but Akaashi gave him one back.

“If he doesn’t want to hear from you sober what makes you think he wants to hear from you drunk?” Akaashi said. Even the harshness surprised him, but Akaashi it deemed it necessary for Oikawa to hear. 

“Fine. Whatever.” 

“Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Suga asked, pausing the TV and turning his body to face the two on the couch. 

“The girl just got murdered by her brother.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about, Tooru. Halloween is boring and the theme music is boring.” Suga explained. 

“I told you we should’ve watched Predator.”

“For the three hundredth time? No.” Akaashi snorted, tossing Oikawa’s phone to Suga once Oikawa made grabby hands towards it. 

“I didn’t know you paid for my bill!” 

“Oikawa, calm down.” 

“Why is everyone telling me to calm down?!” 

Akaashi took the wine glass from Oikawa’s hand and set it on the table to avoid any wine stains on Suga’s white couch. 

Suga sighed, “Tooru, please just tell us what’s going on.”

“No. I want to hear about Akaashi’s one night stand instead—isn’t that why we agreed to meet up today anyway?”

“Wait, what—?”

“That’s _not_ why we agreed to meet today, Oikawa. You’re being a brat.” 

“Brat, huh? How about inconsistent? I like that word better! What about obsessive and self-centered. If you’re going to insult me, at least use some of your useless _creativity_.” Oikawa hissed. 

There it is. Akaashi thought to himself. Oikawa finally hit peak drunk levels and Akaashi found comfort in knowing that it would only get better from here. Oikawa sat back on the couch and silently cried to himself, watching the paused screen.

“Tooru, this has happened…way too many times to count.” Suga mentioned. “Do you ever think that maybe…you and Iwaizumi aren’t it? Truthfully, honestly, you two are like fire and gasoline.” 

“At least talk it through, Toe,” Akaashi added quietly, knowing that the last thing Oikawa would do is break up with Iwaizumi. “ _Normally._ Without screaming.”

“Like it’s that easy.” He scoffed. “Hajime has the worst temper known to _man._ He can be such an asshole sometimes. He says whatever he wants when he’s mad, and then gets even more upset when I get mad at him back. He doesn’t have a fucking filter.”

Oikawa leaned against Akaashi shoulder, “But I don’t want him to get tired of me yet. I want him still but I can feel him getting tired and bored of me and it fucking sucks. I love him, I love him so much.” 

“You love him, even if he berates you?” Suga asked. 

“Listen, not all of us have someone to call us mushy gushy names and give each other good night smooches at night, Mr. Perfect.” Oikawa scowled. “What would you know? You and Big Dick Daichi have it best. Me and Kei-chan are the only ones aware of suffering.” 

“I’m actually doing okay.”

“Stop lying, Keiji. You’re only doing okay because you got the best dick of your life three days ago. Cry with me for once.”

“Me? Perfect? You’ve got to be joking.” 

“I agree. A little.” Akaashi blushed, “You kind of…have everything. You have Daichi, you’re really hot, you have this nice house, and you’re getting married next summer. Don’t you think that’s…kind of perfect?” 

Suga rolled his eyes to the back of his head. “God, I hate talking about this. Especially with you two. I _hate_ it. It’s boring, it’s too perfect, it’s so… _vanilla._ When in my life have I ever been known to be vanilla?” 

“Are you telling me that Big Dick Daichi is incompetent?” Oikawa perked up. 

“No, he’s…great. I love him, he’s the love of my life and my partner for life. But, _fuck_ , I haven’t had a real orgasm in _two years.”_

“Daichi can’t make you cum? Like, at all?”

“The last time we had sex was New Years, Keiji.”

“Oh my fucking God.” Oikawa gasped, “I’ll give you head right now, you poor thing.”

“Don’t touch me, you whore. Iwaizumi could pummel me into a pulp before you could get my pants down.”

“Iwa-chan is so good at pounding.” Oikawa cried, holding his head in his hands. “Fuck, I love Iwa-chan and his big dick.”

“That’s what I’m jealous of!” Suga exclaimed. “I’ve never _ever_ once thought _that was the best orgasm of my life_ or anything like that. Every morning, we wake up, kiss each other good morning, eat breakfast, kiss each other good bye when we go to work. When we get back, we kiss each other hello, eat dinner, _maybe_ watching a fucking movie if we’re feeling _risky,_ and then brush our teeth to kiss each other goodnight to repeat the same thing, over and _over_ again.” 

“Daichi would give you his lung if you asked, why don’t you…ask for some?” Akaashi asked, shocked and a little disappointed that Daichi isn’t putting his great form into some exercise. 

“I _feel_ horrible. Daichi works really hard at his job, some nights I wake up and I see all of his bruises from shitty criminals or I find a new cut. He’s working himself at his limit and I can’t force him to do anything that will make him lose focus on his job the next day. Not to mention, he’s been working overtime lately, tonight was his first night out early in weeks and I felt awful that I kicked him out.”

“Jesus, now we do too,” Akaashi mumbled.

“Yeah, way to ruin the mood, Kou-chan.” 

“Oh, fuck you.” Suga sighed.

“All jokes aside, I feel like you and Dai-chan are lacking communication,” Oikawa began, as if his current situation weren’t bubbling over lack of communication as well, “I’m almost 100% positive that Daichi would break your back over the kitchen counter if you asked him too. He probably thinks that you’re too tired too. I _also_ don’t believe that Dai-chan isn’t kinky, he _has_ to be thinking about slamming your ass 24/7.” 

“Keiji take away his wine, please.”

“Stop taking away my drinks when I start telling the truth!” Oikawa grumbled, taking his glass away from Akaashi as he gave him a look. “And I’m not finished with you yet, either, Keiji-kun. You still have a night to explain to us as well."

“Can I have a moment to recuperate my thoughts, everything that I’ve know has been a lie.” 

“Jesus, you’re just as dramatic as Oikawa these days.” 

“Suck a dick. Oh wait, _you can’t.”_

_“_ Fuck you.”

“No, no, no, fuck _you._ ” 

“No one is fucking no one.” Akaashi yelled out, “Much less the two of you.” 

“You get dicked once and you think you’re the king of the world don’t you?” Oikawa began, “Well let me tell you, he’s a _lie,_ Keiji-kun. He probably stinks and doesn’t call his mom on Christmas.”

“Tooru—“

“You can find someone else, Keiji. _You’re_ the perfect one.” Suga sighed, “Your butt has always been nicer than mine. And you have a really nice job. _And_ you’re really hot. More than you think.” 

“Now this is something I can agree on. Kei-chan, it makes me really upset when you berate yourself. You’re so _special._ This is fucked up now, but I can’t tell you how happy I was when crusty Konoha left. He was grime growing on a gem like you, now that he’s gone, you’re _shining._ You’re so special.”

“I appreciate you lying to me.”

“Koushi, hold me back I’m going to kill him—“

“We’re not lying to you, Keiji. You’re HOT, you stupid, big, dummy.” 

“If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have pulled that guy last night. I thought he was cute. I was drunk, but from my blurred vision, he looked really cute!!” 

“You’re not helping.”

“He was really cute, Keiji.” Suga smiled. “A little scary, though, I will admit. He didn’t force you into anything, right?”

“No, no. He wouldn’t have done anything like that!” Akaashi quickly defended. “From what I remembered, he was really nice. And he was strong. He looked scary, but that was just because he was the club owner—“

“You slept with the _club owner?!”_

“Oh _fuck_ yes, this means we get half off on Patron!”

“I’m not exploiting my one night stand for your alcoholism.” 

“Not _yet._ ”

  
“Was he nice? Were his arms as big as they looked?”

Akaashi blinked, “You seem to know him.”

“I was watching you, Keiji.”

“We both were, we were cheering you on, and then you disappeared. Then we were calling the police.”

“Sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing you bottoming bitch and tell me how big his dick was.”

“Oh my God, give me the glass of wine, you’re _offending me._ ” Akaashi yelled, taking the glass of wine and drinking the rest, “He was really nice, okay? He didn’t pressure me into anything, he gave me several opportunities to leave if I really wanted to—“

“That’s great, Keiji, but please. Tooru and I are extremely sexually frustrated and we need to know.”

Akaashi sighed. “Yes. It was big.”

“I _knew_ it! I knew you wouldn’t limp if it wasn’t! Konoha _never_ made you limp!” 

“Oikawa!”

Akaashi hated that he was right. “I think…I think we had sex maybe three times? Maybe?”

“Three times!? What positions, Kei-kun?” Oikawa wiggled his eyebrows.

“You’re being really gross.”

“Here.” Suga filled up what used to be Oikawa’s glass and gestured Akaashi to drink. “If you can take a dick in your ass after three drinks you can tells us what happened after three drinks.”

“Missionary. Doggy. 69. Against the wall while I was grabbing a glass of water.” Akaashi spat, his cheeks reddening furiously while Oikawa and Suga screamed. 

“69?! You made him eat your ass?!” Suga yelled out. 

“Iwa-chan would’ve _never_ ate my ass our first time! God, I wish I were you, Kei-chan. I can’t _imagine_ what your ass was feeling the next morning.”

“Awful, it was awful. I thought I had to see a doctor.”

Oikawa fell to his knees on the carpet, “Dear God, I have seen what you’ve done to others and I come to you—“

“I’m so happy for you, Keiji. He truly rearranged your guts.”

“I hope not.” 

“What was his name?”

“Uh—“ Akaashi was apprehensive. Was Bokuto a famous gang member, would he be caught if the two of them ended up researching him online? 

“We’re not going to stalk him. We promise.”

“I don’t believe you. I don’t remember his name anyway, I think his last name was Bokuto or something.”

“That’s hot. It sounds like a beefy man name. I can already hear you moaning his name in honorifics because you’re such a nerd. O _h yes! Oh yes Bokuto-san, put that hot meat rod in my tight little ass!”_

Akaashi smothered Oikawa in a pillow while Suga laughed in the chair next to them. Oikawa pushed him off and gave him a bone-crushing hug, successfully suffocating Akaashi.

“Have you talked to him since?”

“No. He gave me his number, but I haven’t texted him. It was only a one night stand.”

“Make it a friend with benefits.”

“You were just telling me that men were garbage two seconds ago.”

“Men like Iwa-chan are garbage. This sounds like a keeper.”

Akaashi snorted, “I tell you his dick size and you’re sending me off? You don’t even know what he does for a living.”

“He’s a club owner! He’s rich! Be the sugar baby I know you deserve to be!” 

“Maybe don’t be his sugar baby, but you should definitely go out and date more. Have fun, Keiji! You definitely had fun this weekend.” Suga smiled. 

“I’ll think about it.”

“While you do that,” Oikawa let Akaashi free of his death grip and sat up, “Kou-chan, can I stay the night?”

“I already had the guest bedroom cleaned.”

“I love you. Come join mine and Akaashi’s floor hug.”

“Tooru, no. You’re drunk.”

“I’m sober I cried out all my alcohol.”

“That’s not how it works, Toe.” Akaashi huffed. 

“Quiet, you!” 

Suga joined the group hug eventually. Once their demons had been released, the trio went back to the scary movie night, not long before Oikawa feel asleep on Akaashi’s stomach and Daichi came in through the front door. 

“Oh, sorry!” Daichi whispered with a smile. Suga smiled and pulled Daichi in for a kiss. “I didn’t mean to be late, I got caught up with Asahi and Noya at the bar.”

“Hmm, I can taste it.”

“You’re not so clean yourself.” Daichi looked at the empty beer cans and the unconscious Oikawa that screamed _we had an emotional breakdown._

“I’m assuming he’s staying the night.” 

“There’s no way he’s going back home tonight.” Akaashi replied, carefully replacing his stomach for a pillow under Oikawa’s head. “I’m gonna get going, actually. It’s a little late.”

“Do you want me to drive you home? It won’t take too long, plus it’s pretty late and cold like you said.” Daichi offered, his paternal instinct kicking in. Akaashi, however, waved it off with a smile. 

“No, I’m okay. I don’t live far, you know that.”

“I know but—“

“He’s fine, Dai. He’ll text us later if he dies.” 

Daichi blinked, “But—“

“I actually need your help in something before Tooru wakes up. Is that okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. Are we talking about the curtains that need hanging that you bought last week?”

“The what? Ah, yes! Curtains! Better…hang ‘em up!” Suga smiled, pushing Daichi towards the bedroom. “I’ll see you for lunch Wednesday, Keiji!”

“Sure thing!” Akaashi grinned from ear to ear, mouthing _good luck_ before Suga gave him a wink. 

The moment Akaashi had stepped out of the door, it seemed that he underestimated the low fo the night. He was shivering before he made it out of the front yard and completely numb in the face before he made it to the main road. Perhaps he should’ve taken the ride home from Daichi.

No, that would’ve been rude considering Suga was finally getting what he desperately needed. Akaashi turned the color of his coat up and moved his legs faster. Despite it being a main road, it seemed to be emptier than usual. Akaashi had blamed it on the fact that it was a work day and that it as close to being midnight, no one would be out on a work day and driving around town.

Which is why Akaashi found it incredibly suspicious that there was a car following him through the roads. He gulped and tried to ignore it, walking faster but the car seemed to stay a constant 10 feet away from him. 

_I’m going to die. This is it, this is how my friends find my body._

The white Mercedes finally made it next to him, slowing down considerably before Akaashi closed his eyes and waited for his fate.

“Hey, hey, Akaashi-kun!”

_Oh no, this is even worse._

Akaashi would much rather be kidnapped. 

He turned his stiff head to the club owned in his fancy car, dressed warmly and dressed like a business executive, much like when he saw him before. Bokuto parked the side of the street with his hazard lights on, getting out of the car leaning against the passenger side.

“Don’t you think it’s a little cold for you to walk home? It’s the coldest night of the month, so they say.”

“I’m fine, I don’t live very far from here.” Akaashi gave a polite smile before bowing his head, “Excuse me.”

“Hey, wait!” Bokuto took his arm, gently once again before give him a smile. Akaashi noticed that his hair wasn’t gelled up like the last time he saw him, but rather parted neatly to the side. Professional. Suave. 

Absolutely stunning. 

“Let me give you a ride home. It’s seriously way too cold out, and I’d feel awful if you got sick or something.”

“I assure you that I’m fine. Not to mention, you would have no way of knowing I was sick anyway.”

“Ouch.” Bokuto smiled, “It’s like that, huh?”

“I mean no disrespect.”

“I know you don’t.” Bokuto sighed and scratched the back of his head, “You leave me no choice than to follow you home, then. To secure your safety. You don’t know what kind of weirdos are out here at night.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I know. But I’m not leaving.”

Akaashi sighed heavily and walked towards the passenger side before Bokuto opened the door to the warm car. Akaashi automatically felt dizzy from smelling the same cologne he had smelled the night they met and he would be lying if it didn’t make him feel a tiny bit excited. 

Bokuto got in the other side and looked behind him first before pulling out, all while Akaashi cursed this new hair style and cursed the way Bokuto’s jawline looked. Why did he have to be so attractive? 

“Tell me when we get to your street, okay?”

Akaashi nodded.

Of course, Bokuto had noticed that Akaashi did indeed live quite a bit of ways from the main road and tried to keep his remarks to himself. He, however, failed.

“A few blocks, huh?” 

Akaashi’s cheeks burned. 

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, Akaashi. I’m not a scary guy.”

“I know.”

“I’m also not going to stalk you.”

“I…know.”

“You hesitated.” Bokuto smiled.

“I—“ Akaashi gulped, “Sorry.” 

“I’m not a yazuka if that’s what you’re thinking. I didn’t have a chance to explain myself. Being called a yakuza would insult my business degree.”

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, “Business degree, huh?” 

“Majored in Marketing and International Business at Waseda.” Bokuto tapped his forehead and gave Akaashi a grin, “Mastered in Commerce. I know my shit, Akaashi-kun.”

“ _You_ went to Waseda?” 

“I don’t know if I find your surprise cute or offensive. Yeah, I went, I got my masters a while ago. Pretty easy. Thinking about a doctorate but I try to stay away from the spotlight.” 

“You—“ Akaashi blinked and scoffed not long after. “A yakuza with a doctorate degree.”

“ _Business man._ In shitty terms, but a business man nonetheless. I tried to get away from all the blood and killing, it’s a bitch to remove from shirts and I’m more of a crisp white dress shirt kind of guy.” 

Akaashi tried to not to blanche at the sound of _killing,_ insinuating that Bokuto more than likely has killed a few men in the past. Perhaps, he shouldn’t be poking so much fun at him.

“There you go, thinking I’m going to kill you again.” Bokuto sighed heavily. “I have a white shirt on _and_ the interior is white.”

Akaashi bit his lip, making Bokuto laugh out loud. “Chill, Akaashi! God, I’ve never met someone more afraid of me in my life. My enemies don’t even take me seriously.”

“Did you take a psychology course in how to read people’s minds or something?”

“No, you’re just incredibly easy to read. An open book.”

“Many would disagree.”

“Then I disagree with their disagreement. Does that make sense?” 

“You tell me, you have a masters.” 

Bokuto laughed again.

They soon began to near Akaashi’s apartment complex. He adjusted his turtleneck and put his hat back on. “We about close?” 

“Yes. You can just leave me right here.” 

“Are you sure we’re close or are you lying to get out of my car?”

Akaashi rolled his eyes, “That’s my apartment building right there. But it’s a little bit of both.”

“I appreciate your honesty.” 

Bokuto stopped on the side of his road a few feet away from his apartment complex. As he put the car in park, he suddenly locked the car door before Akaashi could get out. Akaashi furrowed his eyebrows and looked behind him to see Bokuto had a childish smile to him. 

“Payment please.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your number.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, c’mon, ‘Kaashi.” Bokuto groaned, “I need to know if you’ll get sick tomorrow morning or not. Now that I know where you live, I’ll just come and knock on every door in this complex to check if you're sick, if you prefer that.”

“You’re so—"

“Handsome? Kind? Thoughtful?” 

“ _Annoying.”_

Bokuto laughed and handed Akaashi his phone. “That works.” 

Akaashi found himself entering his real phone number into Bokuto’s phone. He figured he might as well give it to him, one, because he didn’t want him to come to his apartment after figuring out it was a fake. Two, a part of him (a very small minuscule part) wanted Bokuto to keep in touch, but he would never admit that to himself, much less to the owner of the phone as well. 

Once he finished typing his name in the blanks, he handed his phone back over. “Can I leave now?”

“Yes.” The sound of the door being unlocked relaxed the tension in Akaashi’s shoulder. “Also, you could’ve unlocked the car door yourself, you know. You didn’t have to give me your phone number.”

“Give me your phone then.”

“No take-backs!” 

Akaashi laughed quietly, more in annoyance as he opened the door. “I’m leaving. Thank you, Bokuto-san.”

“No problem, any time. If you ever need a ride home, just tell me. It won’t always be me, but someone would come and pick you up if it’s too cold.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’ll still refuse.”

“Bye, Akaashi.”

“Drive safely.”

Akaashi shuffled into his apartment quickly, looking behind him to see that Bokuto’s car had already left. Content that he had kept his word about not looking at his address, Akaashi was greeted with heating in his home, shivering his coat off and trading his shoes for warm slippers. Changed into his pajamas for the night, he heard his phone go off in the kitchen and he found himself shuffling much too quickly to retrieve, disappointed to see it was only Iwaizumi texting him about Oikawa’s whereabouts. 

He sighed, replying that he was staying the night at Suga’s. Iwaizumi thanked him shortly after. Akaashi gave a yawn before taking his phone into his bedroom, shuffling under warm sheets before falling asleep.

The next morning, unfortunately, Akaashi woke up to a stuffed up nose and a raspy throat. He groaned out loudly and kicked his sheets off in form of a temper tantrum. He grabbed his phone next to him and saw that he had two messages. 

_From: Unknown Number_

_If you have an air humidifier make sure you sleep with it on! It can help with the winter’s dryness ‘3’_

_From: Unknown Number_

_Goodmorning!! Hope you aren’t sick._

Akaashi found himself smiling at his phone despite the raspiness of it all.

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Goodmorning. I fell asleep before I could read your message and ended up forgetting to turn my humidifier. Woke up a little sick, but I should be okay. I’m fine otherwise._

Akaashi continued his morning routine, starting with a shower, face washing, toothbrushing, breakfast and more. As he drank his throat soothing tea, he found that Bokuto had sent him another message.

_From: Bokuto-san_

_You better be okay otherwise, or else!! (=_ ﾟ _ω_ ﾟ _)_ つ _)_ ﾟ ∀ ﾟ _)_

_Cute._ Akaashi thought to himself. He would give him that, at least. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really, really, late update that I formally apologize for.........i was really stuck on this for a while sorry hehe. However, I've gifted u all with a longer chapter, hopefully, with a bit more substance from the other characters that I hope you guys end up liking. Also! since these characters have some substance, I wanted to know if you guys would be interested in like a chapter out of akaashi point of view about Oikawa and Iwaizumi argument, Suga and Daichi first time having sex since new years, and then just day in the life of bokuto. If you guys are interested and would like to see a specific side story, click on this link[ here ](https://linkto.run/p/C5CWG7TQ) and vote for which side-story you'd most like to read!!
> 
> thank u so much for stickin with me i'll try to be more consistent now that the holidays are over (ง •̀ω•́)ง✧   
> (also excuse this poorly edited chapter, i'll edit it more in depth later on, i just wanted to give u guys a treat uwu)


	5. Chapter 4.5

_Daichi + Suga_

Daichi yawned and stared at the mirror in front of his treadmill. It was nearing almost midnight now and Suga had sent him a message earlier about being okay to come home. He slowed the treadmill down before getting off it entirely, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with his towel before wiping down the equipment. Daichi stretched his muscles once more to cool down and exited the gym, smiling at the gym attendant before getting into his car. 

The cold wind made Daichi’s forehead shiver. It turned out the weatherman hadn’t been lying about it being the coldest night so far. He hoped that Akaashi and Oikawa had already left the house, but judging what Suga had told them before they came over, he figured it might be a longer night than expected. 

Truth be told, he was exhausted. His muscles ached before he made it to the gym, the work being done at the police station causing him more and more grief. Murders and assaults were at an all-time low this time of year because of the cold, proving that criminals hating doing anything that required an actual amount of effort. Daichi sighed and tried to ignore the headache in the back of his head as he parked his car in the driveway. He grimaced when he saw Oikawa’s car still parked, but was relieved at least to see that he was sleeping on the floor instead of crying or screaming about something else.

His fiancé and friends were all strewn across the floor, Oikawa very much unconscious with Akaashi not too far behind. Empty bottles of wine and cans of beer were also distributed among the floor, and Daichi had half the mind to laugh. 

“Hey, sorry. I got caught up with Noya and Asahi at the bar.” He lied. If Suga were to find out that he went to the gym after seeing how tired he was, he would never hear the end of it. 

“Hm. I can taste it.” 

“You’re not so clean yourself.” Daichi sighed, looking over at Oikawa. “I’m assuming he’s staying the night?” 

“There’s no way he’s going back home tonight. I’m gonna get going, actually. It’s a little late.” Akaashi explained, putting his coat on and heading towards the door. 

“Do you want me to drive you home? It won’t take too long, plus it’s pretty late and cold like you said.”

“No, I’m okay. I don’t live far, you know that.” 

Daichi grimaced disapprovingly. He hoped that one-day Akaashi would be able to rely on him as he relied on Oikawa and Suga, but for now, it seemed that he was still stuck as his old roommate’s fiancé.

“I know but—“

“He’s fine, Dai. He’ll text us later if he dies.” 

Daichi blinked at Suga who was usually _never_ the one to let Akaashi go home alone. “But—“

“I actually need your help in something before Tooru wakes up. Is that okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. Are we talking about the curtains that need hanging that you bought last week?”

Now it was Suga’s turned to look confused before his eyes lit up in understanding. “The what—oh, yes! The curtains! Better hang ‘em up.” 

Daichi was now being pushed inside of their bedroom, equally, if not more, confused as he was before. He heard Suga tell Akaashi that they would see each for lunch on Wednesday and then the door closed, leaving the two of them alone in their bedroom. Something about the atmosphere was off and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Regardless, he moved over to the window to see that the curtains were still not hung, and he began to take them out of the package. 

“Koushi, you should really try to iron these before you put them up or else they’ll look really ugly,” Daichi explained, but the other man failed to answer. He turned around to see that Suga was biting his fingernails pensively, a nasty habit he had yet to get rid of. Daichi grabbed his hand and kissed his wrist before smiling. 

“What’s up? What’s got you chewing on your nails like a maniac?” 

“Hm? It’s nothing really, I’m just really worried about Tooru, that’s all.”

Daichi smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead, “He’ll be fine. Here, let me shower real quick and we’ll talk some more.” 

Suga smiled and nodded. Daichi headed to the shower and allowed his tense muscles to relax under the hot spray of water. He hadn’t noticed the extent of his exhaustion until now, and he felt almost guilty that he wanted to head straight to bed. However, he wanted to be reliable, and if he was to marry Suga, he wanted him to make sure he knew that he was always going to be available to help. He blamed the police officer in him, but it was also because he loved Koushi very much. 

Daichi finally got out of the shower with a towel wrapped securely around his waist, looking for clothes to wear before shuffling into bed. He felt arms being wrapped around his waist, while lips were pressed against shoulder blade, hot breath tickling the skin underneath.

“So, did you go to the gym with Yu and Asahi or am I supposed to believe that you went to the bar?” 

He sighed as the arms around him unwrapped themselves and he turned to see the very disapproving look on Suga’s face. “Which one will make you feel better?” 

“Neither, considering that one of them is a lie and the other one is putting my fiancé in pain.” 

“Come here—“ 

“ _No._ ” Suga pulled away from the embrace and continued his scolding. The dull headache was beginning to grow stronger as Daichi realized he really, _really_ wasn’t in the mood for an argument. Knowing their shitty schedule anyway, they’d wake up tomorrow morning and forget anything ever happened. Almost as if it were clockwork. 

“Okay. Fine.” Daichi huffed, forgoing any clothing as he laid on his side of the bed, turning on his side and closing his eyes. 

Instead of huffing himself and going to bed, it seemed that Suga had much more to say. “What? So you’re going to pout and huff about it instead of talking about it?” 

“I have nothing to say.” 

“You _never_ have anything to say. You just bottle shit up and then just fucking _die,_ don’t you? 

Daichi rolled his eyes and sat up instantly, “Jesus, Koushi it was the fucking _gym,_ okay? You’re acting like I had an entire affair with some beat up twink.” 

“The gym isn’t the problem right now!” 

“Then I beg you to tell me what _is._ ” 

“I’m scared!” Suga finally yelled out, surprising Daichi with the sudden confession of concern. “Do you think I don’t notice? Daichi, you come home every night with a new bruise or a new cut and sometimes even a _limp._ Fuck—you just—“ 

Before could choke on his tears completely, Daichi pulled Suga into a tight embrace where he cried softly, “I’m terrified that one night you just won’t come back. I know it’s your job, I get it, and I won’t make you quit something you love because that’s not me. But I just want you to rest, even if it’s for a day. I just want to see you come home one day and not just collapse in bed.” 

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” He replied softly. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” 

“I thought I’d give you time, maybe it was just you adjusting to the new position, but it’s been a year now and I think it’s only getting worse.” Suga sniffled, “Also, it might also be because I’ve never been drunk enough to tell you.” 

Daichi laughed slightly before pulling out of the embraced to hold his fiancé’s face in hands. “I love you. I’m sorry that I haven’t been paying any attention to my body and I’m really sorry for worrying you. I’ll call in sick tomorrow and maybe we can go to the breakfast place you’ve been talking about.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Daichi.” 

“I know. But I want to.” 

Suga gave a wide smile before pulling Daichi in for a kiss, “I love you. I’m so in love with you.”

“I love you. I’m so sorry.” 

“You can stop apologizing, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I deserved it.”

“Maybe you did.” Suga smiled. “But I forgive you.”

Daichi laughed and pulled him closer, “You forgive so easily.”

“I’m drunk. Also very horny.”

“You’re so pretty when you’re horny.” Daichi teased, hovering over his fiancé and taking his clothes off. “It’s…been a while huh?” 

“You were too tired to have sex with me.” Suga pouted, grabbing him by the chin and pulling him in for a kiss. “I can only fuck myself for so long.”

“Fucking yourself, huh?” Daichi smiled, roughly running his palm over the bulge growing in Suga’s underwear. 

The latter moaned loudly, feeling as if he was about to combust from finally being touched. Daichi ran his thumb over his slit, pressing his fingernail ever so slightly against the head. “I always thought about you. Every single time.”

“Why didn’t you ask for it, baby?” His voice came from under the bedsheets, his tongue running over the leaking member as Suga huffed another moan.

“I told you….you were— _ah—_ tired.”

“…never tired…”Came his voice, muffled from pressing his lips around his thighs. “never tired for you.”

“Aren’t you brave?” Suga laughed, hissing when Daichi bit his thigh. “Fuck!”

“Shh, you don’t want to walk Tooru up, do you?”

“Who cares?” Suga pulled Daichi back up for a kiss. “I had to listen to him and Iwaizumi have sex for two hours straight he can suffer.”

“Now it’s our turn.” Daichi quickly flipped the man on to his hands and knees, spreading his cheeks wide open before pressing a kiss to Suga’s hole. “Sorry baby, I’d usually take my time too but I think I missed you more than I thought.”

“ _Fuck_ , I don’t care just _do_ something.”

“Like this?” He asked, licking a long stripe from balls to hole. Suga cried.

“Daichi _please_ let me sit on your face, fuck— _please—“_

Suga’s wish was Daichi’s command. The stronger man laid so that he was on his back as his fiancé move towards his face, sitting justly on top of his lips and crying out as Daichi ate him out with fervor. It didn’t take long for Suga to come, what with the sexual frustration and Daichi stroking him with his free hand. With long ropes of cum on his chest, Suga laid on his back, still hard and waiting for Daichi to continue.

“Fuck, Koushi, are you still hard?”

All Suga could muster was a lazy smile as he spread his legs, “Fuck me please.”

Daichi was certain he would blow just there. Hungrily, he attached his lips to Suga’s, kissing him as he tried to find the lube in the nightstand. Once found, he poured it liberally on his cock, pumping once, twice before pressing it against Suga’s hole.

“So good, so full.” Suga moaned, pulling at Daichi’s hair. “All of it, baby, more.”

“Are you sure—“ Suga clenched around him before he could finish his sentence, making Daichi choke.

“Positive. _Ruin_ me.”

Who was Daichi to disobey? He pulled out completely before slamming in again, watching Suga’s face contort in pure pleasure. The moans that came out of his mouth were nothing more than salacious as Daichi watched tears pool at the corner of Suga’s eyes. He was worried that he was doing harm and began to slow down, but it wasn’t before Suga wrapped his legs around his waist that Daichi started up again.

“Wanted my dick so bad you’re crying for, hm? Does it feel good, baby?”

“ _So good, baby, so good._ ” Suga whined, “Love your dick in me, I love your dick fucking me.”

“Shit, Koushi, you’re so beautiful so fucking hot—“ 

Daichi’s hand grabbed at Suga’s chin, watching as Suga took his thumb in his mouth. Daichi watched as Suga’s cock bounced in between them, a dark pink at the tip and drooling more precum on to his belly button as it screamed for attention. Daichi wrapped his hands around and squeezed it tightly, watching as Suga’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. 

“How many times can you cum for me, Koushi? One more? Two more?”

Suga had been reduced to huffs and puffs, barely capable of producing coherent sentences. 

“Or should I put a pretty little ring on your cock so you can’t come until I do? Which one, babe?”

“cum, I wanna cum—please—“

“That wasn’t the question, Koushi. Cock ring or not?”

“No cock ring, please—I need this Dai, please, _please._ ”

“Shit.” Daichi put Suga on his hands and knees once more, wrapping his arms around his shoulders so that he could fuck Suga with vigor. His balls slapped violently against Suga’s ass, his moans becoming louder and louder as he watched Suga’s cock spill precum onto the mattress under them.

It didn’t take long for the scream to come out, Suga spilling cum over their bedsheets as Daichi grunted loudly, filling his fiancé to the brim. By the time Suga fell on the bed, he had been full of cum and completely exhausted, refusing to move even when Daichi came back with the towel.

“Babe, you can’t sleep like this.” Daichi laughed, running the warm rag over his stomach and over his very sensitive hole. “Here, get up for just a second so I can change the sheets.”

“Tomorrow,” Suga mumbled in the pillow, groaning when Daichi ignored him and picked him up anyway.

“You’re going to say tomorrow now, but you’re going to be cranky when you wake up with dried cum everywhere.”

“It’s the labor of our love.” Suga smiled dopily. 

“Sure, sure. It’s the labor of our love until you wake up again.”

“Hurry up and change the sheets, I’m sleepy.”

“Yes, sir.”

_Iwaizumi + Oikawa_

_What the fuck is that noise?_ A disgruntled Oikawa asked himself. He groaned loudly and sat up from the floor where his stomach immediately reminded him of his choices from earlier. With a throw blanket thrown haphazardly over his slim body, he looked around his surroundings and noticed that he was still at Suga’s house, listening to the shameless bed thumping and moaning coming from the master bedroom. 

Oikawa rolled his eyes and wobbled on his feet, dragging the throw blanket behind him as he picked up a beer from the ground. Oikawa plopped himself on the guest bed and read over his messages, two from Akaashi and several from his boyfriend. His boyfriend that he was still ignoring and still quite a deal angry with. He replied to the messages he received from Akaashi quickly, mentioning that he was happy that he finally got a ride home despite his fascination with walking home. 

Oikawa re-read his messages from Iwaizumi several times, biting his lip as he wondered what to reply. 

_From: stupid ugly mean idiot asshole_

_Are you coming home tonight?_

_From: stupid ugly mean idiot asshole_

_I want to know how many lunches to make tomorrow. That’s all._

_From: stupid ugly mean idiot asshole_

_Also because I’m worried, asshole. Where are you?_

_From: stupid ugly mean idiot asshole_

_Fine. Wherever you are, be safe. I’ll see you at work tomorrow._

_From: stupid…maybe not mean and ugly_

_I love you. I’m sorry. Call me later?_

Oikawa threw his phone on the ground and turned on his side. He hated how easily Iwaizumi made everything seem. A few kisses and apologies and he was putty all over again. Not to mention, Iwaizumi rarely said he loved him over the phone, that was just a result of his shitty pride. _Stupid Iwa-chan_ , he thought, _Stupid Iwa-chan and his ability to woo me_. 

Considering he was still inebriated, he avoided texting him anymore. He didn’t want to add fuel to the fire, especially if he was still in the mood to argue. Tomorrow, he thought to himself. Tomorrow, when he was sober, he would try talking to him. That is if he didn’t shut him out completely, yet again. 

When Oikawa woke up the next morning, it was with absolute dread. The hangover was one thing, but the realization of his problems was another. He was never the one to run away from anything, he always believed himself to be invincible, undefeated and strong. However, it’s only recently that he realized that was the case because Iwaizumi was always behind him, supporting him even if they were separated.

_Such a loyal dog, that Iwa-chan._ Oikawa mused to himself. Maybe that’s what made him angry. 

Oikawa kicked the bedsheets off of him as he snuck past the loving couple in the kitchen. Not only was their afterglow making his hangover worst, but it was disgusting. And _naked._

Whatever. It’s not like he’s never seen them naked before. 

Oikawa sat in his car and waited for it to warm up as he re-read messages from last night. He sighed and figured he couldn’t have Iwaizumi waiting forever to respond. 

_To: Hajime_

_Did you leave for work yet?_

_From: Hajime_

_Not yet. Are you on your way?_

To: Hajime 

yeah. _i’ll be home soon._

_From: Hajime_

_okay. Be safe._

Oikawa did just that. He found himself being extra cautious as if he did every order Iwaizumi gave him subconsciously. With driving cautiously, he also found himself driving slower as well, almost as if he were trying to avoid the situation he was driving towards. However, Suga only lived fifteen minutes from Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s shared apartment, finding himself in his situation sooner than he’d like. He parked next to Iwaizumi’s car and shivered at the cold air hitting his face before he stepped up the stairs to his front door. It was unlocked, but that came without surprise considering Iwaizumi always did so if he as going to out late. 

As he chucked his shoes off, Oikawa turned the corner to see that said man was leaned against the kitchen counter, paperwork in hand before looking up at Oikawa.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

_What’s with this atmosphere?_

“I’m…going to shower. I’ll be out quick.” Oikawa announced.

“Sure.”

Oikawa made sure to do so. He failed to gauge Iwaizumi’s mood and instead of testing it to see what he was feeling he did was he said he was going to do instead. He opted for a quick shower, wisely getting dressed afterwards and meeting him in the kitchen again as he stood a clear three feet away from him.

“You should eat.” Iwaizumi mentioned, “I know that hangovers hurt a bit. Yours specifically.”

“Thanks. Did you eat already?”

“I wasn’t all that hungry.”

“Oh.” Is all Oikawa could say.

Iwaizumi put his paperwork down. “But I am feeling a little hungry now, I think.”

The two ate in silence and Oikawa wanted to choke from the tension between them. Was it just going to be this awkward between the two of them? Were they going to get married with this tension? Did Iwaizumi even want to marry him still—?

“Tooru, I’m—“

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“Let me finish.” Iwaizumi sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’m way too hard on you. I’m sorry for comparing you to Tobio, for one. That was out of line and I know it was hard for you to listen to. It was unfair of me to put my managerial position before putting my position as your boyfriend first and making the lines blurry.” 

Oikawa smiled and wrapped his arms around his strong waist, resting his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I know you wanted what was best.”

Oikawa could hear Iwaiuzmi grimace before wrapping his arms around him. “Just because I wanted the best doesn’t mean it’s okay, Tooru. Stop forgiving me so easily.”

“Is me spending the night at someone else’s house and ignoring you calls easily forgiving? I can try other things.”

“Please don’t. I thought I was going to die.”

With a loud kiss to Iwaizumi’s neck, Oikawa pulled away to kiss his chin. “I understand how angry you were, and I was mad too. But at the same time, I wasn’t taking my job seriously, and you were getting stressed about the deal. I know that. It was unfair of me to make you feel uneasy too, Iwa-chan. I missed you.”

“It was just a night.” Iwaizumi smiled, grabbing his face in his strong hands before pressing a kiss to his lips. “But I missed you too. So much. Are we okay, now?”

“We’re okay.” Oikawa nodded. “I’ll let you make it up to me tonight.”

“Deal. I love you.”

“Love you more.”

“Fake.”

“Want me to prove it?”

“You said wait til tonight.”

“We can be a _little_ late, right?” Oikawa grinned. 

As Iwaizumi fumbled with Oikawa’s belt buckled, Oikawa thought of how disgusting and cheesy they were. Maybe more than Suga and Daichi.

 

**_Bokuto Koutaro_ **

He wondered if he was as soft as he looked. Obviously, Bokuto had the privilege of testing out his theory, but he was also curious about what he looked like when he woke up, what he looked like when was happy, in love…

More often than not, Bokuto found himself dreaming about Akaashi frequently. It wasn’t his fault, really, considering that life had been a bit boring since the end of family wars. It was back to just regular business, coke smuggling, prostitution, the club—everything was too mediocre now. Bokuto couldn’t imagine living a real, legitimate life. He might kill himself from boredom. 

Akaashi, however, was a breath of fresh air. Perhaps it was the sass that he gave Bokuto the first night they spent it together. Or maybe it was because Akaashi was the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes on. Green eyes, black hair, and skin softer than any linen Bokuto has ever ran his fingers across. Bokuto liked to believe he could still feel it, he liked to believe that he could feel the goosebumps that trailed in his wake and the soft whimpers behind it. 

_Perfect._ Bokuto thought to himself that night. _Angelic._

“Bokuto-san?” He heard, seeing that Akaashi’s arms were held out, waiting for an embrace.

Bokuto would not waste a single second to press himself against him. Mint and lavender entered his nose as he buried himself in his neck.

_Mine._ Is what he would think. _Please be mine._

“God, it fucking reeks in here.” Bokuto’s dreams were interrupted by a very rude best friend who again, rudely opened the curtains and later the window. “Stop fucking ‘wake and bake’ -ing if you’re just going to fall back asleep. This whole place smells like dope.”

Bokuto reluctantly opened his eyes to see that his best friend and his right hand man fanned out the smell saturating his bedroom. Bokuto looked over at his nightstand and saw that his blunt was still in the ash tray. He picked it up and lit it once more, inhaling deeply before breathing out through his nose, ignoring the glares that Kuroo sent him from the other side of the room.

“What?” 

“I don’t know why you smoke that garbage. It smells fucking disgusting.”

“It’s only a little taste. Something to make me relaxed.” Bokuto smiled. “How was I supposed to know that I was going to fall back asleep?” 

“You’re late.”

“I’m the boss, bosses are never late.”

“Not if _your_ boss is asking for you.”

Bokuto groaned out loudly and rolled in his sheets. “I’ll meet with him tomorrow.”

“He wants to see you _today,_ Bokuto.” 

“What does he want? He’s too fucking old to be seeing people.” 

“He misses you, man.” 

“My ass.” Bokuto snorted smoke out of his nose, “Whatever. Get the car ready, I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Sure thing, your majesty. Would it kill you to say please once in a while?”

Bokuto winked and blew him a kiss before Kuroo sent him his middle finger. Bokuto stretched once more before putting his, now roach, on the ash tray again. He stretched out with a yawn and made it towards the shower where he would take his time, enough time to make Kuroo come back up the stairs to, yet again, yell at him to hurry up. 

By the time Bokuto made it to the car, it was well past 11:30, and the lack of remorse in his face was enough to give Kuroo another headache. 

“What?” Bokuto said again, another shit eating grin plastered on his face. 

“Fuck, I hate you so much.” 

“You always get this nervous when he calls. I don’t get it, he’s just a wrinkly old man.” 

“Bo, you _know_ why _,_ I get this way. He’s not just some wrinkly old man, you know that.”

“Mm-hmm.” He replied, going through emails and reports before seeing he received a message. 

_From: Akaashi-kun (•ө•)_ ♡

_Goodmorning. I fell asleep before I could read your message and ended up forgetting to turn my humidifier. Woke up a little sick, but I should be okay. I’m fine otherwise._

Bokuto felt as if he was shipped across the moon and kissed every star that he met. He felt like a teenage girl, watching his phone light up again and again to a message that Akaashi sent him. He hoped he wasn’t too sick, maybe he could send him a soup? No, no, that wouldn’t do, perhaps some meat? He heard that steak was good for a cold. Or was it chicken—

Before Bokuto could draw out an elaborate text to wish him health, the door was being opened, and Bokuto was in front of a large hospital being rushed by his friend. Cell phones were strictly prohibited and he was already pushing the rule by keeping it for this long. 

_To: Akaashi-kun (•ө•)_ ♡

_You better be okay otherwise, or else!! (=_ ﾟ _ω_ ﾟ _)_ つ _)_ ﾟ ∀ ﾟ _)_

Bokuto groaned audibly, earning another glare from Kuroo as the entered the hospital with two guards, one at each of their sides. He figured the message would have to do for now, he would talk to him later and more in depth. Maybe he would find out what the best protein is by then. 

The guards gave Bokuto and Kuroo a mask each before the washed their hands outside of the hospital room. One of the guards then opened the door, and there laid Bokuto’s grandfather, weakened by disease and watching TV. The elder turned his head towards his grandson and gave a wide smile before Bokuto and Kuroo both bowed deeply. 

“You boys know that you are the last two people on Earth I want to see on their knees. Come, come.” He rasped, feebly waving his hand towards the two men. 

Bokuto walked towards him first and gave him a smile, holding his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “How are you feeling?”

“Is that a question you want to ask a dying man?”

“You’re not dying, Grandfather. Just shedding some old skin.” Kuroo smiled behind the mask, his eyes crinkling to show the emotion. 

Bokuto’s grandfather laughed before coughing violently, wheezing afterwards as the two men comfort him. “It’s hard being a happy man. Koutaro, how are you doing these days?”

“I’m doing well, Grandfather. I’m running the family just how you would like me to.” 

“I’m asking about you, grandson. Not the business.”

“I’m okay. I’m doing okay.”

“Have you found someone?”

Bokuto smiled. “Not yet, Grandpa.” 

Grandfather sighed deeply before closing his eyes to pat Bokuto’s hand. “I suppose it can’t be helped. You always had the worst luck with women.”

“ _Mean.”_

Grandfather looked over to Kuroo next. Bokuto watched as Kuroo held his breath, he knew what was coming next.

“Are you still…with that Kozume boy?”

“Y-yes. I am.”

“Hmm.” Grandfather took his time to look him over. “I always thought you two were so strange. What with Koutaro not finding a wife and you spending too much time with that boy.”

Kuroo looked down at the floor. Bokuto was ready to defend before the elder opened his mouth again. “I’m too old to understand. But I’m also too old to be fueled with anything other than love for my two boys.” 

His grandfather reached over to remove both of their masks, tsk-ing them before he threw them to the ground. “I told those idiots i’d be fine with you lot wearing masks. Let me get a good look at the both of you.”

The two men watched as their grandfather grabbed their cheeks with his hands before he laughed. “Unbelievable! I’m beginning to think that you two look worse than me.”

Bokuto snorted, “I’ll have you know that I’m at my prime, old man.”

“Show me.”

Bokuto scrunched his nose before his grandfather released his and Kuroo’s face. “I’m so proud of the both of you. You both grew up to be men I only dreamt about being. I mean it.”

“Tetsuro, you’re always going to be my grandson, no matter what the rest of them tell you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, grandfather.”

“Koutaro…” The old man smiled softly before grabbing his hand. “You and I know I won’t be here long. But I’ll be with you. I’m so proud of you, and I know Kazuo-chan would be as well. He’ll be the first one to find me, I’m sure.”

Bokuto smiled. “I know he will be. He’s a smart kid.”

Grandfather sighed heavily and held both of his grandson’s hands, “I’m tired, kids. I know you have work to do, go on and live your lives. I won’t be going anywhere without you.”

“You better not.”

“With these bones? God would pay me to try.” He chuckled. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodbye, Grandfather. We’ll come back next week.”

“Sure, sure. Tetsuro? Make sure Koutaro stops avoiding my calls.”

“If you only knew the amount of effort it took me to get him out of bed this morning.”

“Just like your father, honestly.” 

The two men bowed deeply again before they left the room, watching as the guards returned to their sides to lead them back to their car.

“You know what I don’t get?” Kuroo asked and Bokuto lit another joint.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

Kuroo continued anyway, “You say you hate coming to see him but you’re always so sad when you leave.”

“You know why.”

“Do I?” He asked, taking a hit from Bokuto’s joint. “I’ll let it go.”

“Thank god.” Bokuto grumbled, looking at his phone again. 

_To: Akaashi-kun (•ө•)_ ♡

_Hey! How are you feeling? I heard that steak is pretty good for a cold!!!_

_From: Akaashi-kun (•ө•)_ ♡

_Wasn’t it chicken?_

That made more sense. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow leave it to me to say i was going to upload consistently and then i go and break my laptop :/ ive fixed it now, hopefully you guys enjoy this little mini-chapter of the boys and their daily lives. thank you all for voting!! it was so interesting to see what you guys wanted to see!!
> 
> thank you for your patience i love u all uwu


	6. Don't Break Your Back For Me

By the time Akaashi arrived at the office, the throat coat had helped a good deal, but his head pounded considerably. Fortunately enough, it seemed that everyone seemed to be in a good mood, including Oikawa and Iwaizumi considering that he wasn’t anywhere near his desk and was presumed to be in Iwaizumi’s office (which he was). He popped his fingers and stretched his weary muscles before focusing on his computer screen once more. He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose (his head hurt too much for contacts) and began to look at the survey results on comfortable fabrics. 

He found himself in a trance soon enough, with his cold annoying him only slightly, he found that it was incredibly easy to focus on the task at hand. That was until his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Akaashi found himself feeling giddy just _slightly_ before reaching into his pocket.

_From: Bokuto-san_

_Hey! How are you feeling? I heard steak was good for a cold._

What a strange message. In what universe would eating steak for a cold be considered appropriate? Also, wasn’t it considered universal knowledge that _chicken_ was the preferred meat when sick? i.e. chicken soup?

“What a weird man…” Akaashi thought to himself before typing a reply. 

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Wasn’t it chicken?_

_From: Bokuto-san_

_Oh, that kind of makes more sense. I guess the silver spoon slipped_

_To: Bokuto-san_

_At least you’re modest_

Akaashi scoffed and went back to his charts not long before Oikawa returned to his seat next to him, giving Akaashi a beaming smile enough to give him a headache. 

“God, you’re so obvious.” Akaashi laughed.

“Whaaaat?” Oikawa whined, “I love my boyfriend is that horrible?”

“I suppose not, no.” 

“What about your knight in shining armor huh?” 

“He’s not my knight. He just gave me a ride home when it was really cold outside. I’ve known this guy for a week.” 

“You gave him your phone number.” 

“Because he wouldn’t let me leave unless I gave it to him.” 

Oikawa rested his cheek on his knuckles, “What? Did he hold you at gunpoint?”

“No…he locked the car,” Akaashi said quietly, realizing logic began to fail him.

“And you…couldn’t….unlock the door by yourself?”

Akaashi groaned and placed his head on his desk before he heard his phone vibrate. He lifted his head up much too quickly, causing him to blink his eyes before focusing on the screen. 

_From: tooru_

_You never lift your head that fast when you know_ **_I_ ** _send you a text message_

Akaashi didn’t want to bother giving Oikawa the pleasure of looking back at him, instead, he replied. 

_To: tooru_

_Fuck off_

Oikawa decided he was finishing teasing Akaashi for the time being, focusing on his work for the first time in a month and leaving Akaashi alone to answer to his incoming text message. 

_From: Bokuto-san_

_What are you doing?_

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Working._

_From: Bokuto-san_

_What do you do for living (_ ゜。゜ _)_

_To: Bokuto-san_

_I’m in the public relations department—a research assistant_

_From: Bokuto-san_

_hmm. Boring._

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Not all of us can live a life of danger_

_From: Bokuto_

_Mean (_ つ ﹏ _<_ 。 _)_

Akaashi laughed out loud and tried to ignore Oikawa’s head turning to look at him with a grin. He gave Bokuto another simple reply before going back to work, he would talk to him more during lunch if he had the time. It seemed that Bokuto had received the message as well, calling him right when the clock had struck 12 and sending Akaashi into a panic to answer somewhere where Oikawa wouldn’t nose around.

“He…llo?” He answered, confused as to why Bokuto would call him during the day. Or at all, really. 

What followed was a deep chuckle, one that registered deeper in Akaashi’s stomach than he would’ve liked. “You sound so confused.”

“It’s not every day a one night stand calls me on my lunch break.”

“The fact that I have been reduced to a mere one night stand after giving you a ride home offends me deeply.”

Akaashi laughed slightly. “What should I call you then?"

“A friend, at least.” 

“Sure. Is there a specific reason you called?”

“I just wanted to check on you and your cold. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m fine. I had something to eat at my desk earlier so I’m not as squeamish.”

“What’d you eat?”

“Uhh…onigiri?”

“That’s _it?!”_

“If you’re going to lecture me like my mother I’m going to hang up.” 

“Fine, then let’s talk about something else.”

And so they did, it seemed like they were only talking for a few minutes, but before Akaashi knew it, Bokuto knew his favorite color, his childhood dog’s name, his favorite lunchtime snack, along with other useless fun facts that Akaashi happened to spew in the hour and a half they were speaking. However, before Akaashi could ask anything about Bokuto, he had interrupted the younger man with another question. 

“Where do you work?”

“Why? So you can stalk me from my apartment to my job?” Akaashi joked, smiling a bit too widely when Bokuto gave a groan on the other end. 

“Why would I stalk if you if I could just call you and ask if you wanted to go out. Anyway—I want to know so someone could bring you lunch. I think I took up most of your lunch break and it didn’t sound like you were eating.” 

“I’m fine.” He was _not._ He hadn’t noticed until now that his stomach was rumbling violently, threatening to riot if Akaashi didn’t eat something soon. He remembered he had a granola bar in his desk, he could probably fend himself with that. “I’m not that hungry and I have a granola bar that I can eat if I get too peckish. The vending machines, even.”

Bokuto sighed loudly, “You’re going to eat a _granola_ bar for lunch?” 

“I’ll be okay, Bokuto-san. If push comes to shove I’ll ask my boss if I can go eat something.”

“Where do you work? Which company?” 

“If you’re going to call my boss—“

“I’m not gonna call your boss, dummy. I just want to bring you some food.” 

Red flag. “Please… _don’t._ ”

“Why not?! It’s to repay my guilt for not letting you get lunch.”

“You shouldn’t be guilty considering I’m the one who continued to converse with you. It’s my fault too, I should be responsible for not going out to eat.”

“I’m glad you said that—however, I’m not going to let it go.”

“Oh my God, Bokuto-san if you—“

“Kei-chan! Can I talk to you over this chart for a second?” Oikawa asked, entering the lounge and looking surprised when he saw that Akaashi was on the phone. “Oh! I didn’t know your mom called! Let me say hi.”

“It’s not my mom.” Akaashi said quietly before putting his attention back to the scheming man, “Um, I’ve got to go. Don’t worry about me I’m fine I’ll go eat something later, please don’t worry. I’ll talk to you later, I guess.”

“I forgot that you had to go and do a regular job.” Bokuto blew a raspberry in the phone, “I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll see you later, work hard!” 

Akaashi tried to hold back his smile, considering Oikawa was still in the room wearing a grin that demanded attention. “What?” 

“It’s so cute, watching you talk on the phone with a lover.”

“He’s not my lover,” Akaashi mumbled, taking the folder Oikawa had in his hands. 

“Oh yeah? What is he then?”

“…a friend.”

 

After Akaashi’s break, he found himself returning to the constant bustle of work again. With analyzing charts, he found the easy stream of concentration and released results quickly and without much thought either. He found himself in the right place of concentration, so much so that he jumped right when he heard his office landline go off. Rarely did he ever get a call on the landline, and much less from the front desk. In fact, it was such a rarity that Oikawa even looked over with the same confused look in his eyes. 

He picked the phone up regardless and answer. “Yes?”

“Ah, Akaashi-san?”

“Yes, it’s me.” 

“I’m sorry to interrupt you but you have a delivery? Is it alright if I send him up?”

“A delivery—?” _Oh no._ A cold shiver ran down his back, “N-no, it’s fine, I’ll meet him down there.” 

The last thing he wanted was attention from the office of some gang member bring him food, that is, assuming that Bokuto sends one of his underlings for the task. Akaashi thanked the receptionist before hanging up the phone and adjusting his glasses on his nose. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and groaned, he hoped he didn’t look awful. 

“What are you getting a delivery for?” Oikawa asked. “And why are you going downstairs to get it? You know they can let them in right?”

“It’s fine I need to get up and walk around anyway.”

“Oh, I need to go to the vending machine I’ll come with—“

“No!” Akaashi said quickly, making Oikawa’s eyebrows shoot to his forehead. _Fuck_. “I…sorry.”

“Keiji. Is he bothering you?”

“No, he’s not it’s just I don’t want a lot of attention brought to this. That’s all. The girls here like to gossip as is.”

“We’re not any different.” Oikawa smiled, poking his side. “It’s fine, go get your man.”

“He’s _not_ my man. And it’s not him. He sent someone, I think.”

“Your man with an UberEats account.”

“God, I hate you so much.”

Akaashi got up from his desk and made his way to the elevator. Should he…tip the underling? Or would Bokuto get mad if they accepted any money from him? Speaking of which, what kind of boss _was_ he? From what he gathered, it looked like Bokuto was just another CEO, one that had assistants and nice cars. But there was also something else to him, a certain edge that wouldn’t find from just people that went to business school. Rather, a certain drive that you would find in someone who was always fighting for their survival. A rough edge was the only way Akaashi could make sense of it. 

By the time Akaashi made it down to the lobby, he had already taken out his wallet. Maybe he could sneak him a couple yen in his pocket. Wait, what if that got him killed? Did Bokuto still kill people, what if—

Akaashi thoughts were interrupted by the back of a very expensive looking suit and a very familiar back of the head. The suit was a navy blue, complimenting the broad shoulders under them. Akaashi swallowed, _hard._ Bokuto turned around with a smile and it was with great horror that Akaashi saw that not only did Bokuto have food but several _types_ of food, all put together in a bag with God knows what else inside. 

Akaashi was burning a deep red and the receptionist looked to be immediately intrigued. _Fuck_ his life. 

“Hey, Akaashi-kun!” Bokuto smiled widely. “I brought you some food!”

“Some? This is an entire menu’s worth of food.” Akaashi gaped, “How did you even know where I worked?”

“That was easy. It was just a matter of calling every sports company in this region if they had an employee named Akaashi Keiji in their directory. It took less time than I thought, I got it on the second try. The hardest part was deciding what to bring, so I ended up buying a few things just in case. Most of it is chicken! Don’t worry about that.”

Akaashi stared at the man in front of him before he blinked and laughed. “Unbelievable.”

“Aren’t I?”

Bokuto’s debonaire smile was enough to knock the breath out of Akaashi’s lungs. He handed Akaashi the bag before noticing his glasses, mockingly poking the bridge in between his nose. “Haven’t seen these before.”

“I wouldn't expect it considering we met only a few days ago. My head hurts and I didn’t feel like wearing contacts.”

“They’re cute.” Bokuto smiled. “I like them.”

Akaashi’s legs were putty underneath him. Quickly, he cleared his throat and took the heavy bag from Bokuto’s  strong hands and bowed slightly. “Thank you for the food. You really don’t have to do this all the time, you know.”

“I know. I just wanted to see you, even if it is for just a couple of minutes.” Something about how Bokuto’s voice was gentle made Akaashi’s heart melt into his ribcage. He almost threw all logic out the window and asked him if he wanted to come upstairs and help him eat all this food, but the charts on his computer were demanding his attention. “I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah, of course,” Akaashi replied quietly. He watched as Bokuto gave him another smile before he made his way back to the front door. Akaashi turned his back as well, readying himself to go back up the stairs before he turned around quickly. “Bokuto-san?”

The man called turned around, almost eagerly as Akaashi caught up to him. “What’s up?” 

“The other night…Lev said that you didn’t really visit the club on Friday. Is there a reason?”

“I just kind of make it my day off, why?”

“I was just wondering if you would be there…if I…happened to pass by on a Friday. Friday’s are my day off too.” 

Bokuto gave Akaashi a blank stare for two seconds before sending the latter into a panicked revision of his sentence. “B-but I can always come on Saturday! I get if you don’t want to go into the workplace on Friday, I mean who would want to, you know what I mean—?”

“No! No, don’t worry about it. I’ll be there.” Bokuto beamed, his chest puffing up with excitement. “Even if you don’t go this Friday, I’ll be there next Friday. And the next if you can’t go that day…and the next.”

“You don’t have to do all of that.”

“I know. But I want to.” 

Akaashi laughed quietly and looked at his feet. “Okay. So, I’ll see you soon then?”

“Yeah. Soon.” Bokuto nodded, turning on his heel slowly before heading towards the door. 

Akaashi kept his head down to keep his giddy expression from the receptionist, but he was almost positive that she saw him anyway. Part of him didn’t care, he entered the elevator with a dreamy sigh and pressed the 10th button, leaning his head against the wall with a smile on his face. 

_“Soon._ ” Is all he could hear in Bokuto’s voice, over and over again. 

“Now that’s a look on your face.” 

Akaashi jumped out of his skin before he spun around to see Oikawa leaning against the beam with his arms crossed. “How did—when—?”

“I followed you! Duh! I gave you space to make sure you two had your alone time, but I could _hear_ the sexual tension from where I was standing.” Oikawa looked down in his arms, “What’s that?”

“Lunch and dinner,” Akaashi sighed, “and lunch and dinner for tomorrow too.” 

“You mean lunch and dinner for _us_.” Oikawa grinned, rummaging through the bag without Akaashi’s permission. “Holy _shit_ , Keiji, there’s a steak in here!”

“What is wrong with you?!” Akaashi groaned, taking the bag back in his possession. 

“There’s also a lot of medicinal garbage. Are you sick?”

“I’ve got a tiny head cold. But it’s not that bad.”

“How did he know that?”

Akaashi gave Oikawa a side glance, “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.” 

For some reason, Oikawa thought it was hilarious. When they arrived at the office again, he split the food in half with Oikawa to take the attention but even then, people found it considerably strange that someone as small as Akaashi was eating this much protein. 

“Uhh, I brought lunch for the office?” He added unconvincingly. 

Iwaizumi emerged from his office and stared at the food on the table, his eyebrows raised. “What….is this—?” 

“Please don’t ask.” Akaashi pleaded quietly. 

Iwaizumi looked over to his boyfriend for clarification, to which his boyfriend gave him a wink and mouthed _later._ He snorted, just from the giddy look on Oikawa’s face, he could already tell the context of why Akaashi was suddenly bashful.

Akaashi saved the chicken stew for himself, eating quietly at his desk while Oikawa devoured whatever noodles were found inside the bag. Iwaizumi had passed on the offer, deciding that it was inappropriate to eat food that wasn’t for him, ultimately glaring Oikawa like he was a child. Oikawa, however, was concentrated on slurping too much to really pay attention to his boyfriend’s disappointment. 

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Thank you. You didn’t have to do that. Also, it was way too much food and my coworkers ended up eating a lot of it._

_From: Bokuto-san_

_Don’t worry about it, I’d be more than happy to do it again._

_Maybe next time I’ll cater to your department next time d(_ ⌒ー⌒ _)_

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Please don’t. I’ll kill you._

_From: Bokuto-san_

_Cute. I’d like to see you try_ ☆ _(_ · _ω_ · _*)_ ゞ

Before Akaashi knew it, the clock had reached five o’clock. He hadn’t been looking too much at the graphs as he would’ve liked, considering that Bokuto had sent him a quip every now and then, distracting Akaashi to no end. However, when he looked up around the room, he noticed that he was the only one left next to Oikawa who was beginning to shut down his computer. 

“Kei-chan, why are you still here? You’re usually one of the first to finish.”

“I’m about finished. I guess I just got a little distracted.” Akaashi yawned, stretching his arms out and looking around the office. 

“Is your cold any better?” 

“It’s fine. I didn’t think it was going to last that long to begin with. I feel a lot better.” Akaashi replied, saving his documents and shutting down his computer as well. 

“Hmm, sometimes the best remedy is attention.” 

Akaashi sighed, “I knew that was coming, and yet, I still walked into it.” 

Oikawa laughed and threw his bag over his shoulder. “Alright. I’m leaving, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Sure, sure.” 

Oikawa met Iwaizumi in the hallway as Akaashi watched them walk hand in hand down to the parking garage. He snorted in response and turned off the lights in the office before he walked down the hallway himself. Most of the building had been emptied out, and he was the only one who walked through the hallway and had the elevator to himself. By the time he made it to the front door, he saw a familiar white Audi parked out in the front with the same navy blue suit jacket leaning against it, cigarette tucked behind an ear and looking at his phone. 

“What…are you doing here?” Akaashi asked, shocking Bokuto enough for him to drop said phone. 

“Fuck, you scared me.” He laughed, “Um, I saw that it was going to be another cold night tonight. I also saw something like the train being closed for repairs. It would suck if you had to take the bus.” 

“What’s wrong with the bus?” 

“Nothing!” Bokuto quickly defended, “I just…did you want to take the bus?” 

Akaashi smiled, “I was kidding, Bokuto-san. I appreciate it, but you don’t have to keep going out of your way to do this.” 

“I know, but I—“

“—Want to. I know.” 

Bokuto smiled widely and opened the door for him, “It’s warm. Hopefully.” 

 

Oikawa sighed as Iwaizumi’s car finally began to warm up, he looked over at his boyfriend who was staring intently at his playlists before he saw a familiar figure at the front of the building. Curse him for forgetting his glasses. Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi’s glasses off his face and placed them on his nose, they were _sort_ of the same prescription.

“What the fuck are you—?” 

“Is that Keiji?!” Oikawa gasped, squinting at the figures. 

“I don’t know you have my glasses.” Iwaizumi huffed, taking his glasses back and looking for himself. “Holy shit, it is. Holy _shit_ , that guy’s **_huge_**.” 

“He brought him lunch _and_ gave him a ride home?!” Oikawa sighed, “What a keeper.”

“I do the same thing for you every day, you know.” Iwaizumi grumbled, putting the car in drive to get out of the parking garage. 

Oikawa squished Iwaizumi’s face together and gave him a kiss to his cheek. “Are you getting jealous, Iwa-chan?”

“Why would I ever be jealous?” 

Oikawa held Iwaizumi’s hand tightly and snuggled against it, “I think you’re strong and big and handsome and helpful too, Hajime.” 

“I can’t wait to kill you with my own two hands.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im wired on caffeine which is why i updated today--schedule be damned considering....i'm two/three weeks behind i am so...sorry 
> 
> uhhh follow my [ twitter ](http://twitter.com/ak19ra) for updates because i am...the queen of inconsistency and maybe i can explain myself better there hehehe
> 
> thank you for being so patient with me i hope you guys are still enjoying this uwu


	7. The World's Been Asking Us to Lose Control

The energy that they had shared earlier had seemed to dissipate despite being able to chat comfortably on the phone and in the lobby. Akaashi had several questions regarding how Bokuto even _knew_ that the train was going to be out of order, considering that the train looked fine when he took it this morning. However, when they passed the train station, they saw police cars in and around the station, yellow tape specifically marking _crime scene do not pass._ Akaashi couldn’t help to wonder if Bokuto saw it passing by, or if Bokuto had something to do with it. 

Akaashi snuck a look over at the man mentioned and noticed how he tapped his fingers and hummed along to whatever was playing on the radio. If he were to be responsible, there was no way that he would be humming along to a pop song so easily. Not to mention, Bokuto was wearing a white shirt today, crisp and clean, as always. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Akaashi would never know unless Bokuto told him exclusively. Would Bokuto even tell Akaashi? Dying to know, Akaashi opened his mouth to form the question, not long before Bokuto opened his mouth to form his own. 

“Do you—"

“—how was work?”

Akaashi tensed and stopped talking so that Bokuto could continue his sentence before they looked at each other and laughed. “Sorry, go ahead.” 

“No it’s fine, I wasn’t going to say anything important really.” Akaashi said cooly, “Work was… work, I guess. Nothing new, nothing noteworthy.”

“Do you like your job?”

“I do. I really like my job. I feel important when I look at computer screens all day.” Akaashi smiled. 

Now would be the time to ask, if any time. Akaashi looked over to see that they were nearing the street to take in order to arrive at his apartment. Crime scenes could be anything, he thought to himself, they don’t always have to be _murder_. Perhaps there was a casual way to bring it up. _Oh man,_ Akaashi would say, _the train really is closed. Lots of cops. Wonder why?_ Seemed simple enough. Despite the simplicity behind the sentence, he still couldn’t find it in himself to ask it. He was afraid of offending Bokuto for assuming that every crime that happened around Tokyo was either something he and his underlings did or stereotyping him into thinking he knew everything that happened around the city. 

Would it be so ignorant to assume that? Bokuto _had_ to have knowledge of what was happening in the city, right? Especially if it was crime related. Then again, Bokuto being in a gang had yet to be confirmed considering all he mentioned was that he was a businessman with a shaded morality. A CEO with a trigger finger. Perhaps not a gang member at all. With the information overflowing from his head, he had forgotten about his initial question, much too late to ask it considering Bokuto was the first to speak. 

“Oh! Akaashi, are you doing anything right now?” 

“I mean, apart from being taken home, no. Why?” 

“Do you want to go out for a quick drink? I just remembered that there was a place near your apartment and I thought it’d be nice to go there.” 

“Right now?” 

“Is that okay? I know you have work tomorrow, but we won’t drink too much, considering I’m driving and you have an obligation.” Bokuto asked eagerly. 

With Oikawa and Suga coming to pick him up early in the morning tomorrow, he pressed the thought out of his head quickly. Surely, a drink wouldn’t hurt. Akaashi’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t that low. 

“Sure. I have time.”

Bokuto hadn’t lied about the proximity of the bar. It was relatively close to his apartment, as he said, and it was right next to the bakery and convenience store he regularly visited before he took the train. He never knew what was in between the two buildings, considering the building they arrived to had dark tinted windows and not a single sign that told them it was a bar. An open sign was also discarded, so Akaashi never knew the place had been occupied until this very moment. The only thing that could’ve given the hint that it was occupied was a single light above the glass door, the tint so thick that it could’ve probably been used to watch the solar eclipse a few years ago. 

Once they entered, it was a thin hallway that led them to the bar, where Akaashi again found himself in front of the 1%. If it were up to him, he would’ve spun on his heel and scurried out of the bar without a second thought, tail behind his legs as the upper 1% maybe laughed and cheered him off. 

However, the strong man behind him was stopping him from doing so. The bar patrons all looked Akaashi up and down, perhaps noticing his work suit and even snickering at the noodle stain on his right cuff. He knew he should’ve cleaned it up before it dried but he also didn’t want to risk the smearing the stain even more. What seemed to be laughs and judgment in Akaashi’s brain turned out to be the bar attendees smiling at the man next to him, rather than Akaashi himself. Bokuto seemed to be incredibly popular at this bar, greeting important people by name and shaking their hand genuinely before patting them on the back and promising to see them at the next meeting. 

Up until this point, Akaashi had been used to seeing Bokuto as a strong, intimidating criminal who shouldn’t be messed with. All of this was true and he wouldn’t dare question it, but now in a traditional business setting like this one, Akaashi saw where the CEO came out, the chivalry, the integrity, the control. 

“Congratulations on your newest granddaughter,” Bokuto said sincerely, giving a warm smile as he shook the hand of what looked to be a board member. “I hoped your daughter-in-law liked the flowers I sent and received them well. I apologize for not being more thorough.” 

“She adored them, Koutaro. You’re a better man than my son could ever be.” 

“You give me too much credit, sir. I’ll be sure to visit your granddaughter and daughter-in-law soon.”

“Yes, yes. Of course. Send your grandfather my regards.” 

“Certainly.” Bokuto bowed before putting his hand over Akaashi’s back, leading him towards the back of the bar to a private booth in the corner. 

Akaashi sat in front of the older man as Bokuto looked over the menu, pursing his lips in concentration as he decided what to order. 

“Who was that man?” 

“Chairman for Nakamura Electronics,” Bokuto replied without looking up from the menu. Akaashi nearly choked. 

“ _Chairman?_ Should I have introduced myself? Did I look too rude for not bowing as deeply—?” 

Bokuto snorted and gave Akaashi a smile. “Don’t bother. Fuck that grimy, horny old man.” 

“I take it you know each other?” 

“He was in my grandfather’s pocket back in the day.” Bokuto explained before looking back at the menu. “He had a thing for younger women, sometimes young girls and my grandfather found out about it and was ready to exploit it. My grandfather hates men like that, who exploit their power to get women to do what they want.

“Anyway, for about thirty years, my grandfather asked for money to secure his safety and reputation for the company. Their company is close to bankruptcy now anyway, so we might end up leaking them soon.” 

Akaashi wondered how long had he been hearing about something like this enough to act so collected about it. 

“His granddaughter is actually his daughter. He slept with his daughter-in-law before she got married his son, found out about the pregnancy, and instead of getting rid of the baby cleanly, he married her off to his son.” Bokuto rolled his eyes, “And he’s even _uglier_ than that old bag. Stupider too. Unbelievable.” 

Akaashi pressed his lips in a tight line. It had almost been like Bokuto was keeping this internalized for a while and he finally found a way to express his annoyance. The only thing Akaashi was concerned about was Bokuto regretting telling him this information. “Should you…be telling me about this?” 

“Why? Are you going to tell someone? Go ahead, I hate that old fart.” Bokuto sighed, “It would be less work for me, at least.” 

He took a minute to look at Bokuto’s expression before he busted out into laughter, ultimately confusing the man in front of him. Akaashi looked up again to see that Bokuto had an eyebrow raised, but a smile on his face as well. “What? What’s so funny?” 

“It’s not so much funny as it is incredible that you could probably…spew anything about anyone in the bar. Their life story, their affair, what they did, what they didn’t do when they should’ve. Things that are probably life destroying and you’re talking about it like it’s dirty laundry.” 

“It technically is dirty laundry.” Bokuto finally gave in and laughed. “I guess you’re right. Sometimes I’m so pent up in garbage that I forget what normal people are like.”

“I’m assuming I’m the normal one?” 

“For now, until you tell me your pent up garbage.” 

“Fat chance, Mr. CEO.”

Even after a small squabble about the number of appetizers they should get, Akaashi found himself in front of a table full of gourmet food that he refused to believe were not 5-star meals. He had studied the bar menu well enough to know that the bill would probably amount to more than three-thousand yen. However, he knew that Bokuto would throw an even bigger fit if he found out that Akaashi was only drinking instead of eating, knowing that alcohol tends to affect him more on an empty stomach. 

“Bokuto-san, I have a question.” 

“I’m not letting you pay.” 

Akaashi blinked. “Not…the question I was going to ask. Not to mention, I would have to take out a loan to pay what we ate here today.” 

“No interest or rush to pay me back if you loan from me.” As he drank from his beer mug, Bokuto gave Akaashi a wink. 

Akaashi snorted. “Not in a million years. I just wanted to know how you knew the subway was closed for the afternoon.”

“You didn’t see the crime scene tape?”

“I did. I just didn’t know if you saw it.”

“I saw it. You also want to know if I had something to do with it, huh?”

“I do not.” He did. “I didn’t even think about that.” He most certainly thought about that. 

“Oh. Yeah, I was just passing by and I saw that it was closed off. Turns out there was a robbery, a guy was shot, found dead. Inconvenient, for him and the train riders.” 

There he went again, talking about traumatic events as if it were his grocery list. Akaashi decided to let it go for the time being and continued to eat and drink. 

“Bokuto-san, I can’t keep having you pay for expensive outings like this.” 

“Why not? I don’t mind it.”

“You may not, but it feels a little bit uncomfortable for me to see the bill come out about the same as rent for my apartment. 

“That’s your monthly rent? That’s not bad for Tokyo and the building you’re in.”

“I was being dramatic and that was _not_ the _point.”_

Bokuto laughed. “Fine, fine. I get it. If it makes you that uncomfortable then maybe we can go somewhere else next time and you can pay for my meal. Sound good?

Akaashi lifted his head from his hands and rested his cheek on his palm. “I guess. I’ll pay for lunch then.”

“Lunch it is. Do you mind if I pick the restaurant?” 

Akaashi tried his best not to glare at the older man as he drank for his beer. Bokuto couldn’t have found it more hilarious. 

Once the food was mostly gone and their beer glasses empty, the two found themselves paying quite quickly. Akaashi almost asked what the rush was, but then he realized it was because Bokuto had to go around the bar and bid adieu to the people he had in his pocket and the people that were halfway there. When they finally escaped, it was close to 9:30, and Akaashi was beginning to feel tired from the little alcohol he drank. Akaashi made the mistake of yawning and noticed that Bokuto drove a bit quicker, most likely to get Akaashi home fast enough so that he could go to bed. 

With the benefit of having the bar so close to home, Akaashi found himself parked in front of the apartment building much faster than he would’ve liked. Regardless of knowing Bokuto for a few days, he found himself enjoying his company. Bokuto, despite the appearance of being well-composed, was actually a bit of an airhead. He was savvy when it came to business proposals and surviving basic day-to-day life, but when it came to anything else, he found it incredibly difficult. Most specifically, public transportation, but he would go more in-depth about that later, at a time where Bokuto and Akaashi weren’t laughing and giggling inside of his car. 

Akaashi’s hand was wrapped around the door handle, in between closing and opening the door. He couldn’t remember what it was that was so funny that he had paused his exit, but it was apparently good enough to do so. 

“Thank you again for giving me a ride. Also, thank you for drinks. I’ll pay for lunch next time.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. I like to do this kind of stuff with friends.”

Akaashi heart sank a centimeter before quickly picking it up. “Of course. Um, so, I’ll see you on Friday?” 

“Sure. Friday.” 

Akaashi turned his body to the door completely before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Before Akaashi could have time to react, he found his lips on another pair, kissing him gently to give Akaashi enough space and time to fully be aware of what was happening. When Akaashi pulled away, it seemed that Bokuto was ready to apologize, not long before Akaashi interrupted him and pulled in back into his kiss. 

What seemed like hours was only seconds, a desperate representation of how much they wanted to do this. In his 24 years of life, Akaashi Keiji would have never thought that he would have broken up with his boyfriend of 7 years only to be found kissing a chief executive officer in his foreign car worth more than Akaashi could ever dream of. 

When they pulled away again, it was only for a minute and for permission. 

“Would you…like to come in for some tea?”

“I would love some tea.” 

Akaashi could count the seconds it took to have his clothes stripped off of him. He could also recount where his clothing was. His shirt was discarded at the doorway, his pants unbuttoned in the hallway, removed in his bedroom while his boxer briefs painfully pressed against his member, a small dot of pre-cum on the end that Bokuto wasted no time in putting in his mouth. 

Akaashi moaned quietly, feeling guilty for being any louder considering that his neighbors next door were elderly, and he would never be able to make eye contact with them again if they found out what he was doing tonight. As Akaashi gripped Bokuto shoulders, he began to send subtle messages that he was too clothed for his liking, pulling at the white shirt as he pulled Bokuto in for another kiss. 

“You’re taking too long.”

“Maybe I like to see you squirm.”

“You can see me squirm more when you fuck me.” 

Bokuto laughed and threw his shirt and pants off to the side. He bit his way down Akaashi chest and stopped just shy of his nipple, sinking his teeth in and relishing in Akaashi’s moan. “Always the silver tongue. Shame that it gets heavy on you too quick.” 

“Try your luck?” Akaashi asked, spreading his legs as Bokuto removed his boxers. 

“Oh baby, I plan to.”

Bokuto dove in between Akaashi’s legs and bit his asscheek harshly, grinning when he saw Akaashi’s cock twitch against his stomach. Akaashi was about ready to tell him to pay attention to another part of his body, but the words were trapped in his mouth as Bokuto delved his tongue inside with warning. 

“Fuck!” Akaashi’s hip stuttered as his cock searched for friction against something, _anything._ Bokuto’s tongue was soon replaced by a gentle prodding finger. 

“Do you have any lube?” 

“Mm, drawer.” 

Bokuto reached over towards the drawer and took the lube out, grinning at the other toys within the drawer. He thought that it might be fun to play with those at a different time, a time when Bokuto’s cock wasn’t screaming for attention. 

“You have quite the collection.” 

Akaashi burned under Bokuto’s playful gaze, covering his face to hide his embarrassment. “I’m a human being.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Bokuto laughed, lathering lube on two more fingers before shoving them inside the younger man without warning. Akaashi’s hands moved from his face to his pillow sheets, letting out a cry in response. “I would say I’d love to replace those toys, and maybe I will, but I’d also love to watch you fuck yourself and think about me.”

Perhaps what made the situation worse was that Akaashi had already done so. He regretted it soon after but how could he forget the way his legs trembled while he tried to stabilize himself in the shower? Akaashi remembered slamming against the dildo time and time again, fingers in his mouth with Bokuto burned into his memory. 

“Something tells me you already have.” Just then, Bokuto curled his finger into Akaashi’s prostate, grinning as he watched Akaashi writhe under him. The older man leaned in and just barely nipped Akaashi’s neck with his teeth, running his tongue soft enough so that he just gently caressed the skin under it. It drove Akaashi insane. “Did you fuck yourself thinking about me, Keiji?”

Akaashi bit his tongue, any harder and he would taste blood. Bokuto took advantage of his vulnerability and shoved his fingers inside harder, Akaashi cried out and gripped at Bokuto’s shoulder. “Bokuto-san, _please._ ”

“Please? You haven’t even answered my question yet? Not to mention, I don’t know what you’re pleading for.” 

“God, I fucking hate you.” Akaashi huffed, reaching down in between his legs to relieve the pressure. Bokuto grabbed both of his hands with one hand and pinned them above Akaashi’s head, playfully scolding him. 

“That’s not very polite of you, baby. I have my fingers in your ass and you think you can just curse _and_ try to touch yourself? Not to mention, you’re ignoring my question.” 

“Please don’t make me— _hah_ —what are you doing?!”

“Taking my fingers out. Why should I listen to you?”

Akaashi whined at the lack of touch and tried to move his hands with no avail, Bokuto still had a tight grip around his wrists as Bokuto watch him with a glint in his eye. Testing, almost as if he were pushing Akaashi to see how far he would go. 

“Do you…or don’t you think about me, Keiji?” Bokuto asked once more, his fingertip teasing the rim of his hole. Akaashi’s toes curled as he nodded his head furiously. 

“Use your words, baby.”

“Yes. I think about you.” Akaashi sighed when he felt a finger enter him. “I think about you finger fucking me. I think about your cock ramming into me, over and over again. Fuck it feels so good, Koutaro, sometimes I cum just thinking about it.” 

“What else?”

“Mouth fucking,” Akaashi admitted breathlessly. “I came thinking about your cock in my throat, so full—fuck—so good—“

Bokuto didn’t give Akaashi another second to think before he slammed his lips against his. Akaashi moaned shamelessly in his mouth as Bokuto returned the other two fingers, continuing to cry out as Bokuto hit his prostate again and again. Akaashi was sure that he was going to cum soon, and in response he pushed Bokuto’s fingers away, wanting more than just a few fingers in his ass. 

“Is that what you wanted? Will you fuck me now?” 

Bokuto took a deep breath before turning Akaashi on his stomach, pressing kissing down his spine. “I’m going to fucking ruin you, Keiji.” 

With a quick slather of lube on his cock, Bokuto entered Akaashi without any reservations, gripping his hips tightly from how deliciously warm and tight Akaashi was around his length. Bokuto moaned loudly, pulling Akaashi cheeks apart to watch him enter and pull out of Akaashi wet hole. 

“Fuck, Keiji, if could see yourself right now.” Bokuto gave a breathy laugh, “I just want to live in your ass.” 

Akaashi could barely hear his own thoughts, much less Bokuto’s musings about how tight he was. The sweat was collecting around his forehead, drenching his curls enough to make them stick to his forehead. His face was pressed against his pillow in attempts to silence the lascivious noises coming from them, but a cotton pillow could only do so much with the way Bokuto was thrusting inside him. 

“Koutaro,” Akaashi gasped, gripping the sheets as he head began to spin. A gentle hand wrapped itself around Akaashi’s neck, almost as if it had belonged there. Akaashi brought the hand to his lips and sucked on the index and middle finger, moaning at the way Bokuto’s fingers pressed against his tongue. 

“I’m here, baby, I’m right here,” Bokuto whispered. Bokuto pulled out for a moment as he returned Akaashi on to his back, heart stuttering as he watched Akaashi’s eyes roll to the back of his head with his hand around his throat. With his free hand, Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s leg and pushed it back onto Akaashi’s chest, watching as his cock bounced on his stomach and twitched every time it was touched in passing. 

Akaashi could barely keep his eyes open, his head so overwhelmed with lust and desire but also just with Bokuto’s scent and small musings. With a special thrust to his prostate, Akaashi’s eyes only rolled to the back of his head, grasping onto Bokuto’s arms for stability.

“Right there Koutaro, please don’t stop—f-fuck, _oh—“_

“Kiss me,” Bokuto said breathlessly. Akaashi couldn’t help but give a salacious smile before following his orders. Akaashi connected their lips and closed any space they had that wasn’t connected, tongue pressing against the other as Akaashi wrapped his legs around Bokuto’s waist and raked his nails down his strong back. 

“Beautiful.” Bokuto breathed against Akaashi’s neck. “Breathtakingly beautiful.” 

Akaashi wasn’t sure if it was the emotion behind it or if he was just close to his orgasm anyway, but he found himself cry out as he came all over his and Bokuto’s stomach, moaning and grasping on the other man as if he were to fall if he didn’t. Bokuto followed closely, if not, at the same time, his breath stuttering as moaned Akaashi’s name in his ear. The moan was enough to make Akaashi shudder and twitch again, and had it not been for the fact that he was absolutely exhausted, he would’ve asked for a second time. 

Despite his fantasy, Akaashi could barely remain awake as Bokuto pulled himself out and hummed in glee as he felt something drip out of him. He thought he remembered an apology for cumming inside of him, but Akaashi also couldn’t remember if he replied. 

Bokuto watched and laughed as he pressed a kiss to Akaashi’s messy curls. He made his way to the bathroom on his own and tried to find a washcloth, settling with one he found in the counter as he drenched it with warm water. When he returned, Akaashi seemed to be in a deep sleep, not giving a single reaction when Bokuto ran the warm cloth down his stomach and in between his legs, neatly discarding it to the side after he finished. 

Bokuto then got up and decided to get dressed and maybe leave. He hadn’t planned on staying the night considering he took advantage of Akaashi’s “tea” invitation, despite the lack of said beverage. However, before he could find his shirt, he found Akaashi reaching out to him with nimble fingers, too tired to do much else.

“…here,” Akaashi said, muffled too much by the pillow.

“What was that?” 

“Stay the night here,” Akaashi repeated, interlocking his fingers with Bokuto’s as he pulled him weakly. “Please?” 

Who was Bokuto to deny such a cute request? Without another word, Bokuto slid into the small bed and smiled when he saw Akaashi stick to his side immediately, his messy mop of hair resting on his chest. Bokuto gave his head another kiss before running his fingers up and down Akaashi’s spine.

“Goodnight, Keiji.”

“Mm, goodnight, Kou.” 

The next morning came quicker than Bokuto would’ve liked. A lot of the times he found himself cursing the fact that he was an early riser, it always made him the weird kid at sleepovers. However, at this specific sleepover, Bokuto was a bit happy that he woke up before Akaashi did, smiling lazily at the younger man who seemed to be nothing short of drained. Bokuto sighed after yawning quietly, looking around the small bedroom and imagining what it would be like to live in a small apartment like this. 

It was cute, Bokuto would agree. Something about living simply made him feel a bit more comfortable, reminding him of the time he spent living in an apartment with his mother when he was younger. Of course, the apartment Akaashi lived in was much bigger than the one his mother and he lived in all those years ago, considering that Akaashi was paid well from his job (or so he gathered). 

Akaashi lived neatly. His clothes were organized by color and by season, and there were little things inside his bedroom. The only thing that Bokuto would go out of his way to call messy was his desk, as it was a collection of paperwork collected into two trays named _to do_ and _finished._ Curious of an average man’s paperwork, Bokuto slowly got out of the bed and placed Akaashi on his side, pausing for a moment as the latter stirred in his sleep before curling to his pillow. 

If Bokuto weren’t trying to wake him up, he would’ve screamed and crushed Akaashi with an embrace. Not only did he not want to wake him up, but perhaps it wasn’t socially acceptable just yet. 

Well, Bokuto’s profession wasn’t exactly socially acceptable either, but he digressed—

Bokuto made his way over to the lone desk and just barely looked over the paperwork on Akaashi’s desk. It was a whole bunch of jargon that he learned when he went to business school, but other than that, it didn’t look all too important. What did catch his eye was a picture of what seemed to be his friends, friends that he recalled seeing the night at the club. Of course, it made sense that Akaashi would only hang out with people just as attractive as him (but to him, Akaashi was prettiest). 

Ultimately deciding he had to pee and that he wanted a glass of water, Bokuto moved his way towards the bathroom and later the kitchen as he downed a glass of water. He placed his cup on the counter before thinking about whether or not he should make Akaashi a cup of coffee. Would that be intruding? Considering that Akaashi’s kettle wasn’t out, he felt a bit guilty snooping in his cabinets to find the kettle. Maybe Akaashi wasn’t a coffee drinker, and that’s why he had his kettle put away. 

Deep in his own paranoid thoughts, Bokuto hadn’t noticed the front door clicking open and then closing, chatting between two friends as the entered the room. 

“Kei-chan! We’re here—oh! My God!” Oikawa yelled, covering his eyes instantly as Suga quickly did the same. 

Bokuto had forgotten to put on underwear, his decency being covered by a small island in the middle of the kitchen. Bokuto didn’t feel embarrassed at the slightest for being naked, but rather embarrassed because he didn’t know their names and he couldn’t introduce himself properly. 

“Goodmorning! You must be Keiji’s friends.” 

“That we are.” Oikawa blinked, peeking through his fingers and removing his hands completely when he saw that Bokuto was covered by said counter. Iwaizumi would have an aneurysm if he found out that he saw Akaashi’s man naked. A jealous fool, that Iwa-chan.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Suga asked. Out of the three of them, Suga was the only one who hadn’t seen Bokuto that night, only a few glimpses despite reassuring Akaashi that he was incredibly handsome the other night. 

“Oh, sorry! I’m Bokuto Koutaro I’m, uh, Akaashi’s friend. I’d come over there and greet you but—“

“We understand.” Both men said in unison. 

“Right. If you’ll excuse me.” 

Bokuto left the kitchen to go back to the bedroom where Akaashi was still very much unconscious. From the looks of it, Bokuto would think that Akaashi wouldn’t wake up if he didn’t have to. He wondered how long Akaashi would sleep for if he just let him sleep. However, Bokuto didn’t have time considering Akaashi’s friends were waiting just outside. 

Said friends were left speechless in the middle of Akaashi’s living room, looking back and forth at each other as they tried to explain what just happened without actually communicating with the other. A minute passed and Oikawa became suspicious of them not coming and quietly made his way towards the Akaashi’s bedroom door. 

“What are you—“ 

“Shh!” Oikawa hissed, peeking in the bedroom. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him, the beefcake of a man hovering over Akaashi as he leaned in a kissed him several times in an attempt to wake him up. If it weren’t for the fact that Akaashi was lonely and disgustingly depressed, he would’ve gagged, but he found himself feeling extremely happy for his best friend instead. 

That, and he happened to see Bokuto’s dick and Oikawa had to cover his mouth to avoid gasping too loud. He looked behind him and hurried Suga over, waving his hand frantically as the other man couldn’t resist, sneaking behind Oikawa and watching the two in bed. 

Akaashi finally opened his eyes, blearily looking at Bokuto until his sight cleared up. Akaashi smiled and pulled Bokuto into an embrace, listening to Bokuto chuckle as he pressed kisses into his neck. 

“As much as I would love to stay like this, your friends are waiting in the living room.”

“So?” Akaashi mumbled, eyes closed and still half-asleep.

“He has sex and tells us to go _fuck_ ourselves?!” Oikawa whispered to Suga angrily. 

“So, they saw me. And my bare ass, possibly dick.” 

Akaashi eyes flashed open when he realized the implications and pushed Bokuto off of him, making the latter fall on his back with an _oof_ and a laugh.

“They _saw_ you?!” Akaashi asked, pulling his pants up haphazardly and tripping over his footing

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re ashamed of me.” 

“No, no, that’s not it at all. You don’t understand, they’re super overprotective and they’re so nosy, I can’t secure your privacy anymore.”

“I don’t mind.” 

Suga and Oikawa got up from the floor and ran back to the living room, Oikawa cursing when his knees popped a bit too violently.

“You don’t mind, but I do, I’m so sorry—“ Akaashi stepped out of his bedroom and made contact with Oikawa and Suga, who were giving Akaashi the glance he had been fearing this entire glance. “Hi, people who have an illegal key and who have no right being here.” 

“And here we thought you’d be in a better mood.” Oikawa joked, knowing that Akaashi really didn’t mean any harm in his sentence. 

“Why are you here? You said 10.”

“I canceled my morning lecture to surprise you but I didn’t think…I would be the one surprised instead.” 

Akaashi groaned and scratched his head. “Just give me twenty minutes and I’ll be ready.” 

“No rush.” Oikawa winked. 

Akaashi rolled his eyes and turned around to see that Bokuto was exiting the bedroom this time, fully dressed as he spun his car keys on his fingers. “So, I’ll get going?” 

“Yeah, yes. I’ll follow you out.” Akaashi replied quietly, leading Bokuto into the doorway before idly poking at his shoes. 

“Sorry for embarrassing you in front of your friends.” Bokuto smiled sheepishly. Akaashi shook his head and chuckled. 

“It wasn’t you. Don’t worry about that.” 

Bokuto straightened up after putting his shoes on, taking Akaashi’s face in hands and playfully pulling at his cheeks. “Whatever you say. I’ll see you on Friday?”

“Mm-hm.” 

“You know you don’t have to come to the club, you can call me and we can meet each other at some other place.”

“I know. We’re meeting up for lunch, aren’t we?” 

“Depends, did you say I get to pick the place.”

Akaashi snorted and poked Bokuto in the ribs, smiling when he grunted. “Very funny.” 

“Aren’t I? Anyway, yes, we’ll see each other for lunch on Friday.” 

“Okay, sounds good.” 

Bokuto beamed and leaned in to kiss Akaashi so tooth-achingly sweet that Akaashi’s felt dizzy after he pulled away. What followed were smaller pecks to the lips while Akaashi fasted his arms around Bokuto’s waist, almost wanting him to stay longer. However, the tool fools were bubbling in the other room, and Akaashi could almost feel it. 

“I hate to kick you out, but my friends are going to start spying if you don’t leave soon.” 

With another chaste kiss, Bokuto leaned into Akaashi’s ear, “They’ve been spying this whole time, now and when we were in your room.”

Akaashi exhaled. “Disappointed but not surprised.” 

Bokuto laughed and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll call you later.”

“Don’t feel like you have to.”

“You know I want to.” Bokuto winked and blew Akaashi a kiss before closing the door behind him. Akaashi smiled widely before turning over to his friends, two heads quickly disappearing from the corner of the room. 

“I know you watched the whole thing,” Akaashi called out from across the apartment. 

“ _And we know why you limp, you whore!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have no excuse--enjoy!!!


	8. The Heaven of the Human Spirit Ringin'

Ensuring that Suga and Oikawa didn’t have a heartache was the easiest part. Akaashi found himself to be an inexplicably good smooth talker when he wanted to be and easily explained to his friends what happened, what he did, and why he did it. Granted, it came with more shrieks and screams than he would’ve wanted, but he figured being honest with his friends was easier than if he would’ve tried to evade the situation entirely.

However, what he did find to be incredibly difficult was to make his friends mind their own fucking _business._ Oikawa has always been annoying with how nosy he was in terms of Akaashi’s social life, but what he hadn’t realized was that Suga was equally, if not, _worse_ than Oikawa in ways he never thought were humanly impossible. Perhaps it could be blamed on the fact that Suga lived a bit farther from him than Oikawa did and didn’t have the luxury of seeing him every day at work, but the sudden influx of attention was enough to make Akaashi groan and mute his phone.

Muting his phone only worked for a bit, considering that when he would look at his phone, he would see that he had at least two or three messages from Bokuto. The messages he had were never of urgency or importance, but Akaashi still liked to reply because not only was ignoring Suga somewhat pleasurable for him but he also genuinely enjoyed speaking to Bokuto about organic things that happened to pop into his head. 

On a calm Friday morning, Akaashi awoke to the sunlight beaming on his eyelids, preventing him to get any more sleep than he naturally would on a day-off. Akaashi cursed in his head before cursing out loud, rolling on his stomach to continue his sleep before he heard his phone vibrate on his nightstand. Without a second thought, he slapped his hand over the rectangle and took it in his hands, peering at the screen with slightly squinted eyes. 

_From: Suga_

_Interesting how today….is Friday_

Akaashi groaned and hit his head with the phone three times. 

_To: Suga_

_Please stop._  

Akaashi exhaled deeply before exiting out of his messaging app and heading towards his social media, looking over and finding that Bokuto had posted a new picture of what seemed to be a new chair he had purchased. Akaashi smiled, Bokuto had sent Akaashi a picture of which chair he should buy yesterday, giving him an option between two and attaching a _help please :(_ shortly after. Akaashi had told him to go with the darker one, and Bokuto thanked him quickly after he bought it, hence the social media post now.

Bokuto’s social media was extremely private. He had five followers and five followers only, four of which he didn’t recognize. Not to mention, Bokuto only followed six people, the same people mentioned, Akaashi, and another person. Of course, if Akaashi’s speculations about Bokuto being a mob boss were true, it would make sense that he would like to avoid the public eye as much as possible. 

Akaashi found himself biting his fingernails once again before putting his phone down. 

Before he could put any more attention on the matter, he heard his phone vibrate next to him, jolting him out of his thoughts and making him answer immediately without looking at the caller ID. 

“H-hello?” 

“Hi?” The deep voice followed with a laugh, “Are you okay? You sound shaky.” 

Akaashi took a deep breath before following with a chuckle. “I’m fine, sorry. Your call just scared me was all.” 

“My bad, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” 

“No, I’ve been awake. There’s no need to worry about that.” Akaashi kicked his sheets off as he walked towards his closet. “What’s up? Do we need to postpone lunch?” 

“Nope! Nothing like that, I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for the morning Akaashi-kun.” 

“Dang it.” Akaashi joked, smiling as he picked a sweater from his hanger. “So, why did you call then, if not for that?” 

“I was wondering what time we should meet up. Are you the kind of guy that needs half an hour to get ready?” 

“Pfft. No. I’m putting on my clothes as we speak.” 

“ _Oho,_ eager, are we?” Akaashi could almost hear his grin. “That’s hot.”

With a roll of his eyes, Akaashi laughed quietly. “I’ll send you the address of the place we’re going to. I’ll be there in like, fifteen minutes.” 

“Don’t you think that’s kind of a long time considering you’re already getting dressed?” 

“I have to brush my teeth and wash my face and then continue to walk there, Bokuto-san.” 

“We can cut out like ten minutes if you let me pick you up.” 

“Fat chance.” 

Akaashi laughed again when Bokuto let out a loud groan. “Fine. I’ll see you in fifteen minutes.” 

“Okay, stop pouting.” 

“I’m not pouting.” Bokuto snorted, “Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” 

“See you in a bit.” 

Although he would rather choke than prove it, Akaashi ran into the bathroom and began his morning routine, starting with brushing his teeth before he hastily washed his face. His fingers lingered over the makeup as he picked up the BB cream in his hands. Would it too much? The last time Akaashi wore this was when he was at the club last week, it would be a bit more obvious in the daylight—not to mention embarrassing if Bokuto were to notice. Akaashi shook his head and put the cream back in the mirror, the last thing he wanted to do was inflate Bokuto’s ego even more. He could already hear it, _oh? Makeup? Akaashi, you didn’t have to do all that for me_. 

As _if_. Akaashi would say, even though it was obvious he was doing it for Bokuto’s approval. 

Instead, Akaashi decided to make sure that his hair was perfect. He made sure that not a single curl was misplaced as he looked over his appearance over and over again. Akaashi is almost certain Bokuto wouldn’t notice something as minuscule as the placement of his hair strands, but it didn’t hurt to put some effort behind it. Not to mention, it had been a while since Akaashi put any real effort into his appearance, and he liked it quite a bit. When this fling with Bokuto ended, he decided that he would start presenting himself better. Perhaps a change of scenery was all Akaashi needed. 

Once he was finished nitpicking his hair, he made his way to his living room to pick up his coat from the couch and make way to his front door, not long before putting on his shoes and leaving the door. Akaashi picked his phone up to text Bokuto that he was on the way, but a honk of a very new, _very_ expensive Tesla distracted him and almost made Akaashi drop his phone. 

Inside the car was Bokuto, a grin plastered on his face with his sunglasses perched low on his nose. “Hi, Akaashi-kun.” 

Akaashi sighed heavily and crossed his arms as Bokuto got out of the car and made his way towards the passenger seat. “What part of _fat chance_ or _I’ll meet you at the restaurant,_ don’t you understand?” 

“None of it.” Bokuto opened the door as Akaashi got inside the car begrudgingly, waiting for the younger man to settle before Bokuto continued in the driver’s seat. “I was planning on surprising you when I called—but then you gave me instructions not to come over. Also, it didn’t seem right for me to let you walk home when it’s so cold outside.” 

“Bokuto-san, it’s 43 degrees. Hardly that cold.” 

“But look at how cute your hair looks! I’d hate if the wind ruined your hard work!” Bokuto cried, grabbing Akaashi’s cheeks together before pressing a kiss onto unsuspecting lips. Akaashi wanted to die when he let out a giggle much louder than he would’ve liked. “Anyway, let’s get to lunch! I’m excited to hear about this place you’ve been talking about!” 

Akaashi had only mentioned it in passing, talking about how he really liked their desserts more than the dishes at hand, but Bokuto continued to chat with him about how excited he was to try the strawberry salad and the strawberry shortcake that matched. Bokuto went on and on about the dishes he was excited to try, but Akaashi could only watch fondly as Bokuto continued to speak.

“…don't you think, Akaashi?” 

“Hm? What was that, sorry?” 

“I said we should share a slice of cake, don’t you think?” 

“If you would like. But I’m sure that you’ll love the cake enough to eat a slice on your own.” 

“Then we can have _two_ slices of cake. Together.” Bokuto beamed. Akaashi could only return the smile and nod. 

Parked in front of the bistro, Bokuto quickly left the car to open the door for Akaashi, earning a roll of his eyes from him as Bokuto replied with a wink. “You’re so unnecessary—” 

Akaashi stopped dead in his tracks when he sees not one, not two, but _four_ familiar faces looking over at him with shocked faces. Suga, Daichi, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi looked over at the couple as they took the time needed to react. Akaashi groaned out loud before Oikawa sprung out of his seat, Suga not far behind. 

“Kei-chan! You didn’t tell me you were coming here for lunch!” Oikawa grinned before looking over at Bokuto. “So sorry about that, but it’s nice to see you again, clothed this time.” 

Bokuto let out a loud laugh as he exchanged a handshake with Oikawa. “No problem! It’s nice to see Akaashi’s friends!” 

“Keiji, we have a room if you want to squeeze in,” Suga asked, not giving him permission as much as pushing him towards the booth where the other two were sat. 

“I’m fine with it but you should really ask Bokuto-san if it’s alright.” 

“I’m cool with it!” Bokuto beamed, completely looking past Akaashi’s desperate glance. _Of course! Now of all days, he chooses to be dense._  

“Iwa-chan—” Oikawa curled back into his boyfriend’s side, “This is Kei-chan’s… _friend.”_

_Fuck you._ Akaashi mouthed. 

_Later._ He winked. 

“Uh, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Iwaizumi Hajime.” Iwaizumi extended his hand and shook it firmly with Bokuto’s. “I’d say Keiji talks a lot about you, but he really doesn’t. Shitty-kawa, what do you mean _clothed this time?_ ” 

“Iwa-chan don’t be _rude—_ ” 

“Sawamura Daichi,” The man interrupted, using his turn to shake Bokuto’s hand. “This is the first time I’m hearing about you actually. It’s really nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise.” Bokuto smiled. “My name is Bokuto Koutaro and it doesn’t surprise me that Akaashi doesn’t really talk too much about me. He’s kind of quiet.” 

“I bet not around you— _ow!”_ Oikawa whined and rubbed his shin as he received several glares from Akaashi. 

“What do you for a living, Bokuto-san?” 

“Ah, you don’t have to be so formal! It feels really weird! But, I’m the CEO of a small engines company here in Japan. Nothing too big.” 

“Engines, huh?” Daichi added. “I bet you’re full of knowledge of cars and stuff.” 

“It’s the opposite really, my technicians are the one who are experts. I’ve always been more of a business person myself.” 

“Which university?” 

“Meiji University.” Bokuto smiled. Akaashi looked up to glance at Bokuto, who only gave him a smile before slinging an arm over his shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. Akaashi wanted to ask about Waseda and his business degrees and everything he had been told before, but he trusted Bokuto in knowing that there was a reason why he didn’t outright say why. 

“Oh! Iwa-chan! You went to Meiji!” 

“For like, a semester.” 

“But you still went! That’s so cool!” Oikawa shook Iwaizumi’s shoulders. “Tokyo is really small when you think about it, isn’t it?” 

“It’s hard to escape anyone in this world.” Bokuto laughed. Akaashi tried his best to make sure that the furrow of his eyebrows wasn’t too obvious before the continued on with their brunch. The arm around Akaashi’s shoulder moved to his hand resting comfortably against Akaashi’s thigh. Every so often, Bokuto would send a reassuring squeeze when Akaashi seemed to bored or uninterested. The attention, for the time being, was placed on Bokuto as they asked him questions about his career and why he was so rich if he was only in charge of a “small” company. Akaashi had to intervene every so often when things were getting too personal and although Bokuto had his script more than memorized, Akaashi didn’t want him lying to his friends more than he had to. 

“I guess you’re right. Maybe we did interrogate you a bit much.” Suga added sheepishly, glaring at Daichi when said man scoffed. 

“A bit?” 

“We’re just really curious! It had been a while since Keiji brought anyone to meet us.” 

“This wasn’t planned,” Akaashi mumbled. Bokuto smiled and gave him a squeeze. 

“I don’t mind the curiosity. It’s nice that he has a support group that’s ready to harm if someone does ill-well to Akaashi.” Bokuto only joked, but he knew that his friends weren’t.

“What can I say,” Oikawa sighed drearily, draping himself over Iwaizumi’s shoulders, “sometimes it feels like a full-time job.” 

 “Oh, you’re so full of shit.” Akaashi snorted. 

Just then, Bokuto’s phone goes off in his pocket. He took a minute to look at the caller ID before smiling at the table, “It’s my brother, sorry, I have to take this. Excuse me.” 

“What’s up, Kuroo?” 

Bokuto walked his way towards the exit where Akaashi watched him talk to his brother in peace. Akaashi can’t recall if Bokuto ever said he had a brother unless it was one of his “friends” from work. It didn’t have much time to remember if he did anyway, considering that his friends were all looking at him with expected gazes. 

“Yes?” 

“He seems nice.” Oikawa started. 

“Yeah, he’s cool. What the fuck did you _mean_ clothed this time, Oikawa?” 

“Aww, Iwa-chan it wasn’t that big of a _deal_.” Oikawa cried out, “Don’t get mad, it’s just Kou-chan and I happened to walk in right after Keiji and Bo-chan after their ravenous lovemaking sessions. That’s _all_ , I promise.”

“How come you didn’t tell me that?” Daichi asked, a pout beginning to form. “I thought we told each other everything?” 

“It wasn’t that important, and I knew it wasn’t that big of a deal.” Suga rolled his eyes, “Tooru just likes making things a bigger deal than they are.” 

“Kou-chan we saw his _dick_!” 

“What are you?! Fourteen? You’ve seen them before!” 

“You shouldn’t be talking about stuff like that in a family restaurant, Trashy-kawa.” Iwaizumi grumbled, “Or in front of me, like, ever.” 

Bokuto came back to the table just then, his face a bit more serious before he made eye-contact with Akaashi, adjusting his face with a small smile. 

“Everything okay?” 

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I just have to get going, sorry baby.” Bokuto sighed and pulled his coat on before leaning in to peck Akaashi on the lips. “I’ll make it up to you next time.” 

“Don’t worry about it. You should go.” 

“I’ll call you later.” Bokuto turned to the rest of the table before giving them a smile and a wave, “It was nice meeting you all, sorry I had to go so soon. Duty calls.” 

“We’re all okay, thanks for sitting with us!” Suga beamed as the rest of the table agreed. Bokuto left seconds later in what looked to be a hurry. Even if he was, it seemed that it was only Akaashi who noticed anyway. 

“So, you’ve got pet names?” 

“Friends always have pet names for each other,” Akaashi explained. “Just like how I call you _annoying_ and _ugly._ ” 

“Iwa-chan are you going to let him disrespect me?!” 

“Ask your new boyfriend, Bokuto-san.” 

“Iwa- _chaaaan_ , you’re such a baby! This is why I don’t tell you things!” 

The squabble between the couple continued up until they all got up to pay and leave. Akaashi made his way to the register before the young cashier looked nervous. “Uh, the man who was seated at your table pay for the entire tab. Yours and your friends. H-he told me not to tell but it’s store policy and I didn’t—” 

Akaashi sighed deeply before giving the cashier a smile. “Don’t worry about it. I appreciate you telling me.” 

_To: Bokuto-san_

_I’m gonna beat u up_

_From: Bokuto-san_

_I’m getting hard thinking about it_

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Uugughhghugggggh I hate you_

_From: Bokuto-san_

_You could NEVER_

_I’ll call you later (•ө•)_ _♡_

Bokuto turned his phone off with a smile, instantly disappearing when he realized Kuroo and Kenma were looking at him. “What?” 

“Can you at least pretend to be subtle?” Kenma snipped. 

“What?! What did I do?” 

“Nothing.” Kuroo sighed. “You just look like an idiot. As always.” 

“You’re awfully cheery this time around. Not as nervous as the last time we went to go see the old man.” 

“Believe it or not, having him accept me was on my bucket list.” 

Bokuto snorted. “He always did. You’re probably his favorite.” 

“The fact that you even said that is insulting to me.” 

“Personally, I think he hates both of you equally.” 

“No one asked you, Kenma.” 

“And no one asked me if I wanted to come either.” He grumbled, locking his phone before setting it in his lap. “You said we were going to eat, Kuroo.” 

“No, I said we were going. And that Bokuto is eating.” 

“First of all, no you didn’t. You said, in your ugly voice, _K_ _enma baby we’re going out to eat after we pick up Bo.”_  

“I did _not_ say that and I _do not_ sound like that!” 

“Yes, you do.” 

“No, I don’t.” 

“Yes, you do.” 

Kuroo stuck his bottom lip out as Bokuto watched the couple in disgust. He sighed against the car seat and watched as they inched closer and closer to the hospital, rolling his eyes as Kuroo and Kenma continued to argue. 

“No, I _don’t,_ Kenma--what are the idiots doing in front of the hospital?” 

Bokuto looked up and saw that four guards were outside of the hospital, shoving people away when they tried to enter. His eyebrows furrowed together as the driver came to a stop in front of the hospital. Bokuto was the first to exit the car as his underlings straightened up instantly, avoiding eye contact with their boss effectively.

“Boss!” 

“What are you doing? Why are you redirecting people away from this hospital?” 

“Boss, we didn’t know you’d be coming today!” A thug bowed his head, trembling as he could feel Bokuto’s temper rise. 

“Ah! So, you think you can give orders when I’m not here, huh?” Bokuto kicked the thug nearest him in the shin, rolling his eyes when he apologized. “You didn’t answer my question, you fucking idiot.” 

“B-Boss, the chairman had a seizure this morning and it looked pretty bad. The doctors are worried, so we called Kuroo-san to help adjust everything.” Another explained, fidgeting with his fingertips as he messily explained. “We didn’t want the chairman getting any bad attention so we thought it would be best to empty the hospital— _ah! Ah, Boss! That’s hurts!”_

Bokuto tightened his grip of the ridiculously styled hair of his underling, nearly ripping hairs out of follicles. “Did I give you the order to get rid of these nice people?” 

“No, but Boss—" 

“Did Kuroo give you the fucking order?” 

“Of course not, Boss!” 

“What the _fuck_ made you _think_ that denying hospital entry to injured people would avoid negative attention towards my grandfather?” 

“We weren’t thinking right, Boss!” 

“Of course, you don’t. You _morons_ never do.” Bokuto sighed heavily and released the underling’s hair as he shoved him to the ground. “Kenma, you…figure out what you want to do with them. Kuroo, you’re with me. 

“Sure thing.” Kuroo stepped over bodies hunched in pain as he pats the two unharmed guards on the shoulder. “Leave the PR to the professionals, kids! Don’t use those empty brains too much, huh?” 

Bokuto and Kuroo spent most of their time apologizing to the professionals within the hospital. However, it was only out of fear the nurses and the hospital staff accepted their apology. Even after having a quick chat with the hospital chief, they still found themselves avoiding their grandfather’s room. From what Bokuto gathered, the seizure his grandfather went through caused some damage, and he was immensely terrified of seeing the strongest man he knew weakened by old age.

Soon after, Kuroo and Bokuto found themselves in the hallway anyway, his grandfather’s doctor standing outside the door looking over his chart. 

“Doctor.” Bokuto greeted with a bow. “I’m sorry we’re late. I’d also like to apologize for my grandfather’s guards. They’re idiots who don’t know any better.” 

The doctor gave an uneasy, yet genuine smile as he dismissed it with a wave. “It’s fine. I can only imagine the panic came from wanting to protect your grandfather.” 

“How is he then?” Kuroo prompted, eliciting a strong sigh from the doctor. 

“I’m sure you’ve heard that your grandfather suffered from a seizure early this morning. A tonic-clonic seizure, more specifically, is when electrical activity in the brain suddenly floods it’s entirety, causing convulsions. Your grandfather is a bit older, and when it comes to episodes like these, it can prove to be more exhausting on his body, especially if he goes a while without breathing.” 

“Is he okay? Did get hurt or—” 

“He’s been stabilized for now. He’s inside resting but the convulsions did quite a bit of damage to his body considering its weakened state.” 

“Well, then, what’s…next?” Kuroo asked gently, almost as if he were afraid of the answer. Bokuto and Kuroo were right to be afraid considering the look soft look the doctor gave them. 

“Truthfully, we’re not sure. What we can do now is admit him into hospice care right now, just to make sure he’s comfortable.” 

Bokuto let out a sudden laugh, one filled with guilt and grief. “You’re saying he doesn’t have a chance, aren’t you?” 

The doctor pressed his lips together into a thin line. “Your grandfather suffered a stroke and an epileptic episode in less than two weeks. It’s a blessing that he’s fought this far.” 

Bokuto tried his best to swallow the lump in his throat. “Thank you.” 

“Of course. I’ll leave you to see him. He should be awake.” 

Kuroo bowed his head as the doctor made his way past them. Kuroo took a deep breath as he squeezed Bokuto’s shoulder. “Come on.” 

Shuffling quietly as they slid the door open and closed, they saw their grandfather breathing heavily with the help of several machines. Bokuto’s hands shook at the sight of his grandfather, the man who raised him, being attached to computers and machines like he was some sort of test subject. It almost made him angry, he thought about ripping the cables off and yelling at his grandfather to get up and get over his illness like a man—to not take defeat so easily. His anger quickly dissipated when they made eye contact, almost as if he was telling Bokuto he tried, and he wasn’t going to keep fighting it anymore. 

Almost as if he were waiting for Bokuto to come and see him. 

“What’s this, old man? They have you looking like a computer charger.” Bokuto attempted to joke, but his bottom lip only trembled as tears began to pool. 

“ _Kou…ta…ro._ _Tetsu—”_

“Don’t strain yourself, Grandfather.” Kuroo gently reminded. “You need it for when you get better.” 

Their grandfather let out a wheeze that seemed like an attempt at laughter. Sardonic, until the end. 

“ _Tired. Wanted to see…you boys…before I slept.”_  

“We’re here. I came as soon as Tetsu called me.” Bokuto smiled, taking his grandfather’s cold hand as tears spilled over his cheek. 

Silently, Kuroo took the other hand, placing it against his forehead. The three of them knew what was to come, it was only a matter of time. 

“ _Kazuo is here…”_ Their grandfather smiled, feebly squeezing Bokuto’s hand as Bokuto wept. “ _I saw him this morning too.”_

“Tell him I love him.” Bokuto voice shook but he continued to give his grandfather a smile. “I knew he was smarter than me, I’m so proud of him.” 

“ _He’s proud of you.”_ His grandfather wheezed. “ _I’m proud of you…of Tetsu…my boys. Grandpa is tired.”_

Kuroo could only watch as his grandfather was overwhelmed with fatigue. How selfish of them to keep their grandfather here, in this body, in this much pain. Kuroo gripped his hand tighter as he softly sobbed in his hand. 

“ _Kazuo is telling me to come. I’m so tired.”_

“We’ll be here when you wake up, Grandpa,” Bokuto reassured. Softly, Bokuto pressed his lips to his grandfather’s knuckles. “Tell me about Kazuo when you wake up.” 

Their grandfather gave a big breath as he smiled. “ _I love you both.”_  

It doesn’t happen the same way as it does in the movies. There isn’t a dramatic pause, eyes fluttering shut, or a groan when they finally do. If Bokuto’s learned anything, it’s that death is silent. Their grandfather sighed heavily and never inhaled after that again. His hands, which were still being held by their dutiful grandsons, were now heavy as they fell limply onto his side. Everything that happened afterward was a blur. 

It was as if everything around him were moving at top speed while he remained stagnant. He watched as the nurses and doctors desperately looked over his grandfather at a speed that seemed inhuman while Kuroo dragged him out. He was pushed into a car, almost forcefully as he felt his feet were to sink into the concrete any second now. He heard Kenma and Kuroo talk to him from beside him, but it wasn’t registering. Nothing was. 

He hadn’t even realized he was in his apartment until he sat down on his couch, staring blankly at his fireplace.

“Bo? Hey, look at me.” Kenma sat in front of the spaced-out man. Bokuto blinked several times before he looked at Kuroo, who was sitting in the chair next to him. “You haven’t said anything in the past two hours.” 

“Oh.” Is all he managed to spit out. 

“Are you hungry?” 

“No.” 

“Thirsty?” 

“No.” 

Kenma sighed as he crossed his legs on top of Bokuto’s coffee table. “Are you sure?” 

“I don’t know.” 

For a moment, everything returned to being still. Bokuto was trapped in his own mind and he wasn’t sure if he was able to escape it anymore. His grandfather took the role of being his father after his father was killed. His grandfather taught him how to do everything, from cook to how to throw a punch. His grandfather was the one who got him into school, who paid for Kazuo’s medical bills, who paid for his _mother’s_ medical bills. 

He joined the business to make sure that no one else would have to suffer a death like that, now 10 years after Kazuo and his mother died, he found himself in the same boat, failing again to trick death even with the endless number of zeroes in his bank account. He failed them, again and again. Now he found himself an orphan truly by definition. Alone, with no one to guide him. 

Yet again. 

“Bo, talk to us, please.” Kuroo sat next to his best friend, his brother, with a hand on his shoulder. 

“I want to be alone.” 

“Bo—” 

“It’s an order, Kuroo,” Bokuto said firmly. 

Kuroo grimaced, knowing that there was nothing much he could do after that. “Okay. Alright. We’ll be around tomorrow.” 

Bokuto nodded his head as he listened to Kenma and Kuroo shuffle their feet towards the front door. The only Bokuto could think about doing now was sleeping—dropping his head against the couch pillow as he closed his eyes, hoping to wake up from a bad dream.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe it's because my period is coming but i cried?? writing this?? im big baby :T


	9. Be Still My Foolish Heart

Akaashi would never describe himself to be the clingy type. He made sure people had their space when it came to their privacy probably because he hated whenever people stepped in his business [see: Oikawa Tooru and Sugawara Koushi]. At the same time, Akaashi found himself making exceptions to the rule, as he always did, not entirely expecting to make Bokuto the exception to the rule. 

It had been a week and two days since they last spoke to each other, it was now Monday, and Akaashi was beginning to think he had done something wrong. He flashed his eyes open that morning and stared at the bleary sun that was just barely poking through the clouds, bright enough to annoy him and making him throw an arm across his face. He took a deep breath when he realized he wasn’t going to be able to avoid the day, also knowing that he wouldn’t be able to call in sick, knowing that Iwaizumi would somehow let it slip and Oikawa would immediately find his way over here. 

Akaashi unplugged his phone from its charger and grimaced at his screen, no new messages, no new calls. No new updates. Akaashi had almost forgotten what an uneventful life he had lived. 

He tossed the phone to the side and kicked his sheets off his body before continuing his morning routine, the same mundane routine he used to do with his phone in hand, replying to whatever stupid message he had on his phone. Akaashi scoffed, he honestly couldn’t believe that he _missed_ him. 

It had been a week. _A week._ They saw each other four times, twice in those few days, had dinner and here he was, feeling as if he had been let down. Of course, Akaashi always expected outcomes like this somehow, so maybe it was fitting.

As he tapped his shoes on and walked his way to the train, shoving his face in his scarf as he tried to ignore the brisk wind hitting his knees through thin trousers. Akaashi had forgotten that Bokuto also drove him to work, another thing that could actually warrant a reason to miss him. Sliding his train pass on the scanner, he walked towards the familiar train, squishing himself inside as he pretended to ignore the high school girls in front of him—giggling and talking amongst themselves, wondering if Akaashi was an actor. 

He had wished. It would’ve been far more interesting than what he was doing now. When his stop came up, he flashed a smile towards said high school girls and wished them a good morning, rolling his eyes when he heard them squeal. When he arrived a the office, Oikawa was already at his desk, tossing peanuts into his mouth as he watched Akaashi sit in his seat and turn on his computer. 

“What’s up with you? You look gloomier than usual.” Oikawa pointed, spinning around to look at his friend clearly. 

Akaashi shrugged and gave a smile, “I’m just a little tired. I stayed up pretty late last night.” 

“You and your little boy-toy stay up late last night? Looks like you’re getting used to it considering you’re not limping today.” 

Akaashi squinted his eyes and shoved Oikawa’s chair into the wall with his foot, “Not everything is about my sex life, Oikawa-san.” 

“You say these things, but I would love to say I disagree.” The older man winked. 

Almost as if he were mocking his past routine, Akaashi snorted and decided to ignore his friend before he annoyed him anymore. At least it wasn’t Suga begging him to tell him details when there weren’t any. Oikawa at least pretended to get the hint, which leads to a significant decrease in misunderstandings. 

Even so, Akaashi couldn’t seem to avoid Oikawa’s curiosity today, especially if he was making it especially obvious that he was waiting for something to begin with. At 11:30, he checked his phone once for about five minutes, leaving it turned on just in case. At 11:45, Akaashi checked it again, this time gaining Oikawa’s attention. 

Oikawa watched the clock and noticed that Akaashi was checking his phone in fifteen-minute intervals expectantly. Judging by the way that he was picking at his fingernails while looking over graphs, Oikawa would even deduce that Akaashi was anxious, anxious enough for him to jump whenever he called his name. 

“Keiji.”

Akaashi blinked and peered through him over his glasses, looking confused. “Huh?” 

Oikawa would’ve laughed at the reaction if it weren’t for the blank look on his friend’s face. Instead, he lifted an arched eyebrow and squinted at Akaashi shortly after, nodding towards his phone. “Is everything okay?” 

“Everything is fine. I’m just expecting the cable guy to call me.”

“You said cable was a waste of money ever since you got Hulu.”

Oikawa let out a snort when he saw Akaashi just barely visibly flinch. Oikawa decided to ignore it for the time and thought it would be a good idea to bombard him during lunch. But, when lunch came around, he noticed that Akaashi was visibly dejected, sighing deeply as he flipped his phone on its screen, opting to look at his computer screen for the rest of lunch. 

Oikawa placed his bowl on his desk before he reclined against his chair, studying the younger man with judgment until he noticed. He watched as Akaashi exhaled deeply, placing his hand on the side of his head to ignore Oikawa until the latter scooted closer. 

“You’ve been wearing your glasses more often, lately.” 

“I’ve just been tired of wearing my contacts. They dry out more often when it’s cold outside.”

Just then, Akaashi heard his phone vibrate. Akaashi tried his best to make it seem as natural as possible, but his disappointment was even more visible when he noticed it was a text from Oikawa, tricked again as his suspicions had been verified by Akaashi himself. 

_From: Tooru_

_Trouble in paradise?_

“Why do you do this to me?” Said the man with a frown. 

“You make it _incredibly_ easy, that’s why.” Oikawa picked his lunch up and stirred the noodles as he watched Akaashi recline in his chair next, tilting his head back and forth to relieve tension in his neck. “What’s up? Seriously?” 

“I don’t know.”

Oikawa narrowed his eyes again. “You don’t know?”

“I mean, I know, but I don’t know what caused it? Does that make sense?” 

“No. It doesn’t.” 

Akaashi sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses, “Can we talk about it later tonight then?”

As he realized that Akaashi never wanted to speak about his issues, Oikawa respected his decision and squeezed his shoulders before wandering off. “Alright, alright! I won’t bother you about it here, just calm down. Turn off your phone if it’s distracting you that much.”

Akaashi frowned and nodded as Oikawa headed for Iwaizumi’s office. Oikawa blew a raspberry as he opened the door to reveal his boyfriend behind his desk, glaring at a computer screen with his developing eye damage. 

“Iwa-chaan.” Oikawa sing-sang, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

“I’m busy.” Iwaizumi sang back, pressing a kiss on Oikawa’s elbow. “What’s up?” 

“You shouldn’t be that close to your computer, Iwa-chan, it’s no good for your eyesight.” 

“It’s already shot as is, what’s the harm in getting a stronger prescription?” He hummed, pushing his chair away as Oikawa sat in front of him on the desk. “Why are you in here, you never come in here unless there’s an underlying motive.”

“My underlying motive is that I love you.”

“Please don’t make me vomit.”

“Fuck you. You’re right though. It’s Keiji.”

“Tooru, he could make do without you worrying about him this much.” 

“He’s checking his phone obsessively.” 

“So what? You do the same _and_ on company time.” Iwaizumi gave Oikawa a look through his glasses before Oikawa swatted the idea away. 

“Now is not the time to reprimand me, Iwa-chan! I’m being serious!” 

Iwaizumi took off his glasses to rub at his face harshly. “Is physically hurt?”

“No.”

“Is there any inkling that may suggest that he’s hurt? Limping, visible bruises?”

“No.” 

“Is he crying?”

“No.”

“Has he mentioned anything in terms of hurting himself or others?”

“Nothing more than normal,” Oikawa grumbled. 

“Well, I can’t report him to HR if there’s nothing wrong with him.” 

“His boyfriend _dumped_ him.”

“I thought they were just friends?”

“Hajime, you’re so dense it makes me want to cry!” Oikawa whined, tightening his hands around his boyfriend’s face. Iwaizumi snorted and slapped them off with a roll of his eyes. 

“He’s coming over tonight anyway, right? He’ll tell you then. Stop assuming things, Shitty-kawa.”

Oikawa pouted and looked around the office. “Fine. I’ll stop assuming for now, but the lack of support from my boss is underwhelming.”

“Okay. Report me.” 

“Maybe I will.”

“I already have your report on excessive phone use written, _please_ fuck with me.” Iwaizumi threatened. Oikawa smiled and pulled Iwaizumi in for a kiss before pulling at his cheek.

“I’ll report you for having sex with your subordinate. Who do you think will lose their job first?” 

“Is joblessness a kink of yours or something? Why do you want me to get fired so fucking bad?” 

“I’m kidding! I’ll see you later, okay? I’ll update you if something happens.” Oikawa said with another kiss. 

“Sure. Feel free to do some actual work too, y’know? Because it’s a job.” Iwaizumi sighed, “Also, did you eat the soba I was saving in the fridge?” 

“Bye, Iwa-chan! I love you!” 

 

 

Akaashi found that having a movie night at Oikawa’s apartment was considerably more comfortable. He, in no way, wanted to disrespect Suga’s home decor at all, but the way Akaashi sank into the couch was almost enough for him to forgo the movie and fall asleep on the couch instead. His eyes were half shut when Oikawa sat next to him, almost obnoxiously, letting all of his weight fall on to the couch as he shot Akaashi up in the air. Akaashi opened his eyes to glare and fell back on the armrest to take another nap. 

“Sorry, thick bitches problems.” 

“You’re so fucking annoying.” Akaashi grumbled.

“I know.” Oikawa took a sip from his tea before brushing stray hairs away from Akaashi’s glasses. “Do you want to talk about it now, or, do you want to wait for Koushi to come?”

“Is it bad that I almost want to avoid telling him?” Akaashi mumbled into the couch, lifting his head from the couch enough to make eye contact with his friend.

Oikawa gave Akaashi a face that suggested he could do whatever he wanted, but that he should be prepared for the consequences that came with it. Akaashi grimaced before he stared blankly at the Netflix title. Realistically, with all of his dramatizations put aside, he knew that he could avoid telling Suga for another week or two until he got over it or until Bokuto decided to text him again. However, if this was the end of a fling, Suga would be not only disappointed but a bit heartbroken if he was told last. Considering that Akaashi had yet to know the situation, he shrugged it off. 

“Bokuto-san hasn’t texted me in, like, a week.” 

“That’s it?” 

“I mean,” A huge wave of blood rushed to his cheeks, “…yeah.”

Oikawa laughed and pinched at Akaashi’s cheek, “You’re so cute. It’s only been a week, Kei-chan.”

“Okay, well, a week is a lot considering we talked every day.”

“For how long?”

Akaashi frowned. “I get it.”

As he pulled the grumpy man in his arms, Oikawa squeezed Akaashi tightly before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “He’s a busy guy, Keiji. I’m sure he doesn’t want to ignore you, you even said that he’s a busy guy himself.”

“I only said that because I didn’t want you guys bombarding him.”

“I know. How convenient is it that you only believe your lies when you want to?” 

Akaashi looked up and Oikawa and narrowed his eyes before nuzzling his head back into his neck. “I guess.”

“Why are you so upset about not having a text message from Bo-chan, anyway? I thought he was just a friend?” 

“He is. That doesn’t mean I can’t be concerned that a friend hasn’t replied to my text in a week.”

“Have you been sending him a lot of texts?”

“No. I just sent him the one. I hate when people send a surplus of texts.”

“Is that supposed to be a dig?”

“I’ll let you decide.”

Oikawa snorted and pinched his ear. “Do you like him? Bokuto?”

Akaashi took a moment to think about the question. To determine whether or not he did, he had to travel way past Bokuto and think about the first day he met Konoha and how he felt when they first met. It had been seven years since then, and Akaashi found that it was a bit difficult to remember such blooming emotions when he was only seventeen. 

What he did happen to remember was the same feeling of appreciation. Konoha always listened to him and perhaps that what he appreciated most in him. It was never a guessing game when they first met, always having an understanding for each other that Akaashi always liked, and perhaps what began the strands of attachment. 

Obviously, the attachment began to thin when they got to college, as they were only hanging by a string at the end of last year, but perhaps that’s what made Akaashi love him in the end—the determination that was never really for him, but for Konoha’s own growth. 

What a piece of garbage.

It’s too soon to say anything about Bokuto. He didn’t know anything about him, his goals, his ambitions, his family. He had just found out about his brother the other day, not to mention, Bokuto was extremely secretive and cautious despite the façade he put on in front of him.

But, what he did know is what he gathered when they were together in moments where it seemed time was altered—stopped, one might argue. It was the gentle caress of fingertips against his lips that made Akaashi burn under his cheeks, soft lips under his chin, and fleeting touches down his bare body that made Akaashi think that there was affection under his fingertips. An affection he didn’t mind there, but affections that always haunted him when the sun rose. 

Maybe he wasn’t sure if he liked Bokuto just yet, but he was certain that he liked being around him. Admittedly, he’d feel better if Bokuto were around or even just texting him, and it was nice to know that he was around for comedic relief if Akaashi had a hard day at work. 

“Keiji?”

Akaashi took a deep breath and shrugged again. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“You took two minutes to reply with a maybe?”

“It’s been a week, like you said,” Akaashi mumbled, “maybe I have no idea what I’m doing.” 

Oikawa sighed and squeezed him tighter, “If you overthink this, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Too late.” Akaashi laughed. 

Iwaizumi came out of their room with a gym bag over his shoulder, looking over at Oikawa and Akaashi with a raised eyebrow. “Oh. Am I interrupting something?”

“Iwa-chan, you have the worst timing.” He smiled, tilting his head up for a kiss as Iwaizumi gave it to him willingly. “Are you going to the gym?”

“Yeah. I’m going with Daichi.”

“You better get going before Kou-chan gets here and he finds out.” Oikawa peered at him, earning a grin from his boyfriend. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Iwaizumi bit at Oikawa’s nose. “I’ll see you later.”

“Be safe! Don’t forget to stretch!” 

“Thanks, mom!”

Akaashi wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Don’t you think you could’ve let go of me while you kissed your boyfriend goodbye?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” 

About half an hour in, it was revealed that Suga wasn’t attending their movie night due to being behind on midterm grading. Oikawa made the argument that he could come over and they could help him grade papers, but ever since Oikawa gave an A to a student who plagiarized, Suga never again trusted Oikawa with a red pen. For the night, it seemed that it was just going to be Oikawa and Akaashi, who was mindlessly watching a Korean drama on the screen, not paying much attention as Akaashi scrolled through social media as Oikawa mirrored the same. 

“We’re just wasting my electricity, huh?” Oikawa asked, looking up from his phone and laughing at the ignored drama scene. 

Akaashi smiled and locked his phone. “Yeah. I guess it’s kind of hard to pay attention to anything.”

“I saw that Bokuto Kaichi died.”

“Who?” 

“The chairman for some company.” Oikawa mused quietly. “He made that park around the corner, remember that?”

“Oh, the charity guy?”

“Yeah. They’re looking to his grandson to inherit.” 

“That’s nice,” Akaashi mumbled uninterestingly. “I’m going to go buy some snacks, do you want something?”

“Akaashi, you should be paying attention to stuff like this! It’s our community, you know!”

Akaashi rolled his eyes and put his shoes on, “Do you want something or not?”

“Can you see if they have those Honey Butter chips?” 

Akaashi laughed and nodded, opening the door and flinching when the wind was unexpectedly freezing. He shoved his head inside his scarf as he inched closer to the store, shivering as he entered the warm building. He took his time scanning through the aisles to find said snacks as he stuffed his arms with several bags of junk food he was certain he wasn’t going to finish tonight. He looked at the beer cans and tilted his head pensively, if he drank a six pack of beer he was going to bloat and hate himself tomorrow, but if he left them at Oikawa’s place, he would definitely get reprimanded as Oikawa had no self-control and would definitely drink the entire pack if he were prompted. It should be mentioned that he’d be reprimanded by Iwaizumi and not Oikawa, considering Iwaizumi-san was the one who had to deal with a drunk Oikawa at night and a whiny Oikawa when he’s hungover and bloated from his alcohol consumption in the morning. Perhaps not tonight, especially with it being Monday, it would make more sense that they’d wait for Friday to do something like that just in case. 

Akaashi began to make way towards the cash register, turning without taking into consideration his surroundings as he bumped into someone else, dropping most, if not all, of his snacks on the ground. Akaashi made eye contact with wide hazel eyes, returning mostly to normal as the person’s lip tilted upwards. “So sorry.” 

“Uh, no. It’s my fault, I wasn’t looking.” Akaashi bent down to retrieve his snacks as the smaller man bent down to help him, carefully stacking the bags in his arms. Akaashi quickly scanned the other man in front of him, from his blonde hair to his expensive looking coat. The man reconnected their eye contact, tilting his head to emulate feline-like curiosity. 

“I’m sorry, but do I know you?” He asked, “You seem familiar and I’m not entirely sure why.”

“Not that I’m aware.” But Akaashi agreed internally. It would bother him later on tonight, but if Oikawa didn’t get his Honey Butter chips soon he would surely riot. “Excuse…me.”

The blonde man stepped aside and made his way towards the beer, completely opposite of Akaashi. “Sure. Sorry, again. Have a good night.”

“You too,” Akaashi mumbled, probably too low for the other man to hear. Akaashi quickly paid for his snacks and made his way towards the exit, shuffling to back to Oikawa’s house with a healthy amount of looking behind him to warrant his safety. 

When he opened the front door, Oikawa had a can of beer open and was flipping through Netflix titles once again, slurping obnoxiously as he looked over to his friend. “What took you so long?” 

“It’s cold as fuck, Tooru.”

“Yeah? I know? Wouldn’t that make you walk faster?” 

“To psychopaths with long limbs like you. I also bumped into someone at the store.”

“Did you know them?” 

“No.” Akaashi tossed the chips, grinning when they landed unceremoniously on Oikawa’s face. “But they seemed to know me, it was weird. He was weird.”

“Did he follow you back?”

“No. I was watching.”

“You can never be too careful anymore, Kei-chan. Creeps are everywhere, I promise you!” 

“I know, and I’m in his house right now.”

“That’s no way to talk about my boyfriend.”

“I’m talking about you, Tooru.” 

Akaashi and Oikawa ended up watching a movie in its entirety without understanding much of it. 10 minutes shy of midnight, Iwaizumi returned home sweaty and tired while Akaashi tried to avoid the grueling sexual tension culminating between the couple. Just by looking at how Oikawa watched Iwaizumi walk around the house, Akaashi already knew that Oikawa was going to be the one limping tomorrow morning at work. When Iwaizumi left to shower, Oikawa shoved his head into a pillow and groaned. 

“My boyfriend is so hot and I can’t wait to have his dick in my mouth.” 

Akaashi tried to contain his disgust but inherently failed. “Have you ever, in your life, considered Christ?” 

“Don’t act all high and mighty, Keiji. Not before I remind you where you lost your virginity.” 

“Oh my God, _fuck_ you.” Akaashi groaned, desperately trying to throw away any memory as he rubbed his temples. 

“Tooru, leave my employee alone.” Iwaizumi sighed, hastily toweling his hair as he reentered the room.

“That was fast.” Oikawa blinked. 

“I wanted to give Akaashi a ride home before it got too late. There are weirdos out.”

“I’m fine, Iwaizumi-san—“

“I’m not. If you die because I didn’t give you a ride home, Oikawa will report me and I’ll lose my job.” Iwaizumi threw the towel to the side much to Oikawa’s discontent. 

“Just take the ride, Kei-chan. Iwa-chan has no regard for boundaries.” Oikawa rolled his eyes, kicking Akaashi off of his couch. 

Akaashi gathered his things almost as if it were an order as he followed Iwaizumi back into the garage, where he unlocked the door of his car and sat almost awkwardly inside. Akaashi cleared his throat as Iwaizumi started the car, the interior filling with an atmosphere that Akaashi had never been exposed to before. 

It had then occurred to Akaashi that he had never been in the same room alone with his boss before unless it was having to do with his work. Despite knowing him all of these years, it still seemed a bit forced to have a conversation with him. Akaashi picked at his fingernails in his pocket and looked out the window. 

“Thank you for the ride, Iwaizumi-san. You didn’t have to.”

“I know I didn’t. Tooru told me the other day that Bokuto picked you up the last time he saw you walking home. As endearing as that is, I want to avoid anyone gathering the idea that they can just pick you up willy-nilly off the road.” 

Akaashi blushed. Fucking…Tooru and his big mouth. 

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m sure he’s nice and all. Just can’t account for everyone.” 

“No, of course. I understand.” 

Iwaizumi sighed before tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “A quick question though, even though Tooru will tell me anyway, I just want to hear it from you. Are you doing okay?”

“I’m fine. I think I just overthought a situation that wasn’t that serious, to begin with.”

“Seems unlike you.”

“Lately everything has.” Akaashi sighed. “I’m sorry for causing any concern.” 

“You’re _fine._ I was just curious too, not to mention, it’d help to find out from the source every now and then instead of relying on Oikawa to find out if something was wrong.” 

“Does he really tell you everything?” 

Iwaizumi snorted. “Yeah.”

“Oh, God.” Akaashi groaned, hiding his head in his hands as his face burned violently. “This is the worst day of my life.” 

“Chill out! I’m sure he’s told you worse things about me as well.”

“He has. It freaks me out sometimes.” 

“What?”

“Huh?” Akaashi shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Is it that bad?”

“If it weren’t for the fact that you guys were dating I probably would’ve called HR or something.” 

Iwaizumi huffed. “I know I’m dating him and I _still_ think about calling HR on him sometimes.” 

“How does that work out in your head?” 

“Bad, considering Oikawa has more dirt on me.” Iwaizumi gave a genuine smile, one that Akaashi had never seen before. It brings Akaashi comfort to know that there was someone who truly loved Oikawa—although Iwaizumi didn’t make it seem so at times. Before they know it, they arrive at Akaashi’s apartment building, parking in front of his side as Akaashi gathered his things.

“Uh, one more thing Akaashi.” Iwaizumi scratched the back of his head. “It’s kind of a weird transition but since whatever happened…your work—“

Akaashi panicked and bowed his head deeply, “Oh my Go—I didn’t even realize that I was neglecting my work I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to reflect that version of myself—I promise to stay after to fix everything—“

“Oh, holy shit, Akaashi calm _down.”_ Iwaizumi panicked next, waving his hands frantically. “I’m just saying you waited to the last minute for a lot of things, but everything is still good. I just want you to spend your time more wisely next time, okay?”

“Of course, of course. I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again.”

“Don’t worry about it, I trust you. Go get some rest, I didn’t mean to freak you out.” 

“No offense but…”

Iwaizumi grimaced, “Yeah…my bad. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Akaashi gave an uneasy smile as he nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow.”

Akaashi quickly shuffled out of the car and up the stairs to his apartment, jiggling his keys in hand to find the front door key as he unlocked the door. Breathing in warm air again, Akaashi took off his coat and shoes before slipping into his house shoes, walking towards the kitchen to make some tea. 

Before he could turn on his kettle, there was a knock on his door. It was too late for any visitors and Akaashi looked at the clock apprehensively. There was a tiny bit of hope in him, hoping for a certain visitor to come in and apologize for lack of communication. However, when he opened the door, he tried his best to contain his disappointment when he saw his landlord holding a box, giving him a smile as he invited him inside. 

“I’m sorry for coming in so late, Akaashi-kun! I just wasn’t sure when you’d be coming home!” 

“It’s no problem! I just got back from a work get-together. Would you like some tea?”

“Ah, no. I’m going to pass this time, my wife’s got a kettle going downstairs as we speak. I really came by to give you this package that came earlier today. I passed by and was a little worried that someone might take it so I took it inside for a bit! I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh no, the opposite actually! I really appreciate it, thank you so much.”

“Anytime, anytime. I’ll see you around.”

“Of course, thanks again.” Akaashi closed the door behind the elderly man as he made his way towards the box again. It was labeled to his address and it was sent from postage in Yamanashi prefecture, about a two-hour train ride away. Akaashi didn’t know anyone in Yamanashi, but the postage says his name clearly, so he could only assume.

Maybe it was the tea set he had bought a few months back. Akaashi grabbed the box cutter and opened it excitedly, he _knew_ that it wasn’t a scam—

Two things. 

The tea set he ordered online was definitely a scam and Oikawa was right.

Second, there was a flower basket inside with a beautiful arrangement whose scent instantaneously filled the room. Akaashi blinked as he placed the intricate arrangement on his counter as he pulled out a few fruits that were deliciously ripe, just waiting to be eaten. 

At the very bottom was a letter with a wax seal on top, tilting his head to the side as he peeled it off and read the letter.

_Keiji,_

_The wax seal is kind of embarrassing and dramatic. Sorry about that, but it was the only way I’d get free postage and expedited shipping (hehe)._

_I suppose I owe you an apology first. Something came up on Friday and I haven’t been myself since then. I meant to call you right after, but I forgot, truthfully, and I’ve been busy arranging things for the newest stage of my life. Not to mention, cell service is awful and nonexistent here, apologies for that too._

_Truthfully, I’m still a mess. There are things I still can’t tell you, not on paper at least, but I want to see you again if you’ll let me and if you aren’t too mad that I accidentally ditched you._

_I hope you enjoy the flowers, I don’t know much about meanings behind them and I accidentally threw away the card that explained the meanings, but I know one of them means forgiveness—just don’t ask me which one._

_When everything settles down, I hope I can take you out for dinner. A nice one, but one that doesn’t freak you out when you see the price._

_Like a real date, if that’s okay with you._

_Anyway, enjoy the fruit as well, they came from my grandfather’s personal garden. He would’ve liked you to enjoy them. He always liked to share the fruits of his labor._

 

~~ _I miss you_ ~~

~~ _See ya later_ ~~

~~ _Fuck I’m running out of space_ ~~

_See you soon,_

_Kou_

 

Akaashi smiled widely and closed the letter up before looking over the flowers. He looked at the seal once more and studied it closely. It remembered seeing the crest somewhere, but for him to remember would be a miracle—

“Oh fuck. Oh, _Fuck_ me.” Akaashi groaned. 

The crest on the wax seal matched the same one found on the park next to Oikawa’s apartment. The park built by Bokuto Kaichi, Bokuto’s _grandfather._ Suddenly, the lack of contact made sense as Akaashi realized that he was putting his grandfather to rest the past week, not only that, but Akaashi was almost certain that Bokuto was overwhelmed with his new position of authority and leadership, taking over what his grandfather must have left behind. 

“I hate myself, fuck I’m the biggest asshole in the world.” Akaashi cried out, grabbing his phone and dialing Oikawa immediately. 

“ _Hello?”_ Came the breathless reply. 

“Bokuto-san’s grandfather died. That’s why he hasn’t been calling.” 

A laugh came from the other end, “ _You’re an asshole.”_

“Excuse me?” 

“ _Not you, I’m talking to Iwa-chan. What happened?”_

“Bokuto’s grandfather _died_ , Tooru.”

“ _See? I told you he wasn’t ignoring you.”_

“But now I feel awful, fuck, I didn’t think—I’m so—“ Akaashi stopped speaking once he heard a soft moan come from the other side of the phone. He gripped the bridge of his nose as he put two and two together. “Honestly, why do you even answer the _phone_ at this point if you’re just going to—“

“ _Kei-chan, we’ll talk later okay? Text your man see if he’s okay we’ll go into details tomorrow when Kou-can—fuck—“_

Akaashi rolled his eyes and ended the call before Oikawa could finish his lewd sentence. He stared at the flower basket in guilt, wondering if Bokuto’s grandfather was looking down at him at disgust. Akaashi knew that he would be if he was in that situation. Instead, Akaashi picked up his cell phone and took a picture of the basket, composing a message to Bokuto in case he would ever hit cell phone service sometime soon. 

He opted for a short and simple message, one that expressed his gratitude without theatrics. 

_To: Bokuto-san_

_Thank you for the fruit and flowers. I love them._

Akaashi bit his lip and looked at the letter, the scratched out _I miss you_ that Bokuto probably omitted due to embarrassment. He smiled slightly to himself before typing out another message.

_To: Bokuto-san_

_I miss you too._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm...a mess. i won't lie and say that my emotions aren't affecting my writing schedule--im just trying to figure out my life at the moment lmaOoo. thank you for being so patient and loving towards this story. your comments really mean the world and everything to me, they really make me think this writing thing is worth it (oh go d tha't s os chees . y) anyway enough of that i hope u enjoyed heheheheh


	10. My Heart is Thrilled by the Still of Your Hand

On a rainy day like this one, it was easier for Bokuto to lose his concentration on anything. The paperwork sitting on his desk, the endless phone calls and voicemails left behind to the point where he was sure the phone was going to explode. In his childhood home, Bokuto sat in the rocking chair found outside the porch, the same chair that his grandfather used to sit in and watch Bokuto play in the mud, in the dirt, in the snow, back when his mother allowed him to visit him and before she passed.

He took his joint and pressed it to his lips, inhaling deeply and tasting sour smoke on his tongue, holding his breath until he let it escape through his nose, much like his grandfather when he would smoke his cigarettes. Bokuto found that nothing ever changed and that everything was ironically cyclical. He laughed at himself for that, he always was partial to dramatic themes in his life. Lord knew he had enough.

It was easy to lose himself in his daily life, more so now, with the bustling desperate arrangements made to take his grandfather’s place. Starting next week, Bokuto would be in charge of his grandfather’s legacy, his business—both legitimate and none, and will have to be in public eye more often in attempts to keep the idea of the Bokuto family being one of generosity and humility. Kuroo would be in charge of the small company Bokuto had built up afterward, and would officially become his second in command after the paperwork went through.

How annoyingly bureaucratic. Bokuto smuggled distributed cocaine to half of Japan, for Christ’s sake, what was the need? Well, he used to. Now he would oversee production and distribution instead of physically distributing himself in car engines. He supposed that was Kuroo and Kenma’s job now, Bokuto just had to keep face.

Flicking the remaining pot in his fingertips, he stood up from his chair and slid the paper door open, waving his hands in dismissal at the underlings who stood at the door.

“You can go home now. I’m not going to be doing much today.” Bokuto said simply, sitting down at his desk and looking over new folders found at his desk.

“Yes, Sir. Goodnight, Sir.”

Bokuto ignored them as the door opened and closed again. Another pair of feet walked towards him, but judging by the lazy, confident stepping, he automatically identified them as they sat in front of him, crossing their legs confidently.

“What’s the news?” Kuroo asked, yawning and scratching the back of his head.

“Nothing noteworthy over here,” Bokuto replied quietly as he twisted his head until he heard a satisfying pop from both sides. “What about on your side of the pond?”

“Nothing. Akaashi got his package. Kenma bumped into him at a convenience store before that. That’s about all we got.”

Bokuto grimaced and rubbed his eyes. “I’m so fucking tired, I just want to go home.”

“And see your sweet, sweet Akaashi?” Kuroo smiled. “Your apartments still a mess by the way.”

“I know it is. The fact that I have to clean it when I get back makes me want to cry.” Bokuto sighed and leaned back in his office chair. “I can’t have Akaashi come over and see me in my squalor.”

“You can have him come see you here, in this squalor.”

“This is worse. Did I tell you he freaked out when he saw my apartment? I can’t imagine how he’d react if he’d see this enormous house.”

“He’d shit twice and run away.” Kuroo grinned. “Paperwork for the engine company should be official by Wednesday. Same for Grandpa’s organization, considering we sent them in at around the same time. You also have the press conference, no cameras, as requested but after that everything should go back to normal.”

Bokuto sighed heavily and sunk lower in his chair. He picked up his useless brick of a cellphone that didn’t pick up any cell service and spun back in forth as he tapped it against his lips. “Tomorrow then?”

“Tomorrow. 12 hours. Then we’re free to go back home.” Kuroo agreed. “What are you going to do with the house? I doubt you want to live in it.”

Bokuto shook his head. “It’s too big, even if the three of us lived in it. I might clean it up and start an orphanage or something and start with some good publicity there. Just to make sure people know that I’m not some airhead heir who got a company.”

“An orphanage? Right off the bat, huh?”

Bokuto smiled and got up from his chair. “It makes sense. I can already see the titles,  _wayward orphan builds orphanage out of his childhood home_. You know, Bruce Wayne did the same in  _The Dark Night Rises.”_

“Yeah, except you’re a drug smuggler and not a vigilante hero.”

“You’re the drug smuggler now. I’m the charity organizer.” Bokuto grinned, tossing the phone back on to his desk. “First thing we need to do is get some fucking phone towers or something so I can get a decent fucking call in. I hate a landline."

“They’re working on it right now. It’ll be delayed because of the rain, but we should have cell service in about 2 hours if you can wait that long.”

“Probably can’t.”

“Jesus Christ, they put up the lines in two weeks, you know that takes 2-3 months for normal cities?”

“Normal cities don’t have money like I do.”

“Kou, what the fuck, are you okay?”

“Nope,” Bokuto admitted, grabbing a cigarette this time and lighting it up instantly. “Not in the slightest.”

He glared at Kuroo when he grabbed the cigarette from his lips and extinguished it on his desk. Bokuto opened his mouth to reprimand him but he rolled his eyes instead, plopping back in his chair to slouch as Kuroo stood at the desk.

“Look. I get it. You’re tired, you’re still grieving, and it doesn’t help that these old idiots keep coming in here to tell you how great Granddad was or how shitty he ran his organization.” Kuroo sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. “I also get that you’re freaking out about having to take his place, but now is not the time to be impulsive, and you  _know_ that.”

“Do I?” Bokuto asked, reaching out for another cigarette before Kuroo grabbed them. He placed them in his pocket before throwing Bokuto a bottle of water.

“Yes. You do. It’s my job to make sure you’re not acting like a little bitch and you’re making it  _really hard_.” Kuroo snipped. Bokuto looked at him in a way that almost challenged Kuroo if anything, but, the latter was used to Bokuto’s temper tantrums and knew how to navigate past them. “I’m going to bed. The press conference is tomorrow and it’s better that you get whatever the fuck this is out of your system tonight or else.”

Bokuto rested his fingertips on his temples, pressing against them roughly. “Get out.”

“Gladly.”

Bokuto rolled his eyes again but didn’t lift his head until the door shut. He looked up at the ceiling with a groan, tapping his wrists against his forehead.

_Shitty old man._ He thought to himself.  _You made it look so easy._

Deciding he was finished for the night, Bokuto flipped folders shut before heading towards his bedroom, plopping on his bed the minute he entered. When he closed his eyes, he noticed that his head was spinning, causing a bit of nausea to settle in his stomach, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t ignore. Kuroo was right, he was throwing a bit of a tantrum, but Bokuto didn’t know any healthy coping mechanism considering the only thing his grandfather taught him to do was to drink it away.

Bokuto was smart enough to know that he was too old to be drinking himself into unconsciousness. He wasn’t 19 years old anymore and he had real responsibilities that didn’t just involve turning in a paper…or killing a debtor. Whatever he was feeling, the best course of action was to go to sleep, the sooner he slept, the sooner this nightmare would end.

At around 2 am, when Bokuto was just beginning to feel drowsy, he felt his phone vibrate on his chest, jolting him awake as he looked at the messages he had received. He smiled widely and sat up in his bed when he saw that they were three from Akaashi. One dating from two Saturdays ago, the day after the hospital, and two from an hour ago.

_From: Akaashi-kun _( •ө•)_ ♡_

_Hey, I’m just checking in—everything okay?_

Bokuto groaned. “I’m such a piece of shit, I hate myself.”

How hard could it have been to send Akaashi a tiny message that he was going to be busy for a week? He shook his head before he continued to read the next few messages, messages that continued to make him feel a bit better.

_From: Akaashi-kun _(•ө•)_ ♡_

_Thank you for the fruit and flowers. I love them._

_From: Akaashi-kun _(•ө•)_ ♡_

_I miss you too._

“ _Fuck!”_ Bokuto cried out, shoving his face into his pillow as affection swelled from the tips of his feet to the very tips of his ears.  _I’m going to shower him in every flower I can find._

He will admit that he felt a little foolish at the idea. Not to mention, the number of nerves he had sending Akaashi said package. He was terrified that Akaashi would refute him and send it back to sender, not only because it didn’t have appropriate postage, but because he was under the impression that Akaashi was mad at him.

Bokuto thought about sending him another bouquet of flower considering it would be another week until he saw him, even if he were arriving in Tokyo tomorrow. He convinced himself that he was nowhere near ready to socialize just yet—he was barely able to speak to the lawyers and the press, now imagine seeing someone you wanted to make sure you left a good impression on. He wanted to be his absolute best when he was around Akaashi, not only because he deserved that and more, but because Bokuto is under the impression that he really liked Akaashi and he wanted to make sure that Akaashi at least enjoyed to be in his company.

Bokuto rolled his neck and gave a sigh before typing out a response, only to frown when he saw the message take its sweet time to send. He grimaced and stretched his arm to place his cell phone on the nightstand.  _Only a few more days_ , Bokuto thought to himself,  _and I’ll take Akaashi out on a date_.

_To: Akaashi-kun_ (•ө•)  ♡

_I’m really glad to hear that you did. I can’t wait to see you again._

_Thank you for being patient with me_

Patience proved to be Bokuto’s life source to survive the hellish next few days. The very next morning, Bokuto woke up incredibly early to get ready for the press conference, something he had been dreading since putting his grandfather to rest a week ago. He had been preparing himself for quite some time, but as he sat in the back of the car, he realized that all of his preparations were for naught.

He had requested that there weren’t any cameras to keep at least a bit of his personal information away from the world. It didn’t help that most of his club goers knew who he was, he didn’t want to put a negative light on something that already was suspicious, to begin with. Once he walked in the room, however, he gave a large smile and thanked the reporters for coming in honor of his grandfather, where he then continued to answer questions greedy men and women had, watching them scribble down every word he’s said frantically in tiny notepads. There’s nothing Bokuto hated more than a reporter.

“Bokuto-san, how do you reply to the rumors that your grandfather was involved in illicit activities that include, but not limited to, cocaine distribution?”

Had this been a week ago, Bokuto’s defenses would react immediately—causing an uproar with the press as to why Bokuto Kaichi’s grandson was so defensive with drug use. However, Bokuto has had time to think his grief through and instead gave a smile and a dismissive wave.

“It’s very interesting! I will agree. I’m sure my Grandfather wished his life were that interesting.”

“Are you refuting these rumors?”

“Of course. It’s nonsense.”

“Bokuto-san, may we ask why you requested no cameras for this conference?”

Bokuto sighed and wiped under his eye with a tired smile. “Is it not obvious? I’ve just mourned the death of my Grandfather, the man who’s raised me since my mother’s passing. I want to make sure that when I do appear in front of cameras, I’m looking my best.” Bokuto looked to the side to see Kuroo held up one finger, insinuating that he had time for at least one more question.

“One more question, everyone, and then it’s back to work.” Bokuto nodded towards the reported who looked eager to ask his question.

“Any plans for the future? What’s next for the organization?”

“My brother and I have several plans for the future, many of which we would like to keep private until they come to fruition.” Bokuto smiled and scooted himself away from the table. “Thank you so much for accepting me in my grandfather’s place, I hope to bring Japan the same amount of joy he did back in the day.”

Bokuto thanked the reporters once more and smiled, bowing deeply before he walked off the stage. He saw a light flash from the corner of his eyes, sighing deeply as Kuroo clapped him on the back. “Did you see what I saw?”

Kuroo smiled and nodded his head. “Kenma is on his way to fix it right now. It can’t be helped, there’s always someone that wants to see Bokuto Kaichi’s grandson.”

“They’ll see me soon enough.” Bokuto pulled his jacket on and nodded to the driver who let him the car. Kuroo sat next to him as they waited for Kenma, who returned with a camera, tossing it on Kuroo’s lap.

“It didn’t take long,” Kenma replied, “I also didn’t have to threaten either. It was a new journalist—all it took was a lawsuit threat and he handed it over.”

“That’s convenient.” Kuroo looked at the camera as Bokuto lit his cigarette, handing it over to his brother. “Can’t have a bad reputation around you just yet, Bo.”

Bokuto looked at the picture and frowned, “This is the ugliest angle I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re not exactly an idol.” Kuroo snorted, taking the cigarette and taking a drag. “I’d say the blurrier the picture the cuter you look.”

“Very funny. Fuck you.”

The ride back to Bokuto’s apartment was relatively short, earning a groan from Bokuto when he was required to get out of the car to get into his building.

“Fuck, the mess that’s going to be inside.” Bokuto sighed, leaving the door open as half of his body was already out of the car. “I kind of don’t want to clean it by myself.”

Bokuto gave fluttered his eyelashes to Kuroo and Kenma, who returned with a disgusted look as Kuroo continued to kick him out of the car. Bokuto now sat in the middle of the sidewalk, watching as Kuroo gave him a grin in response to Bokuto’s shocked glare.

“Not today, Boss. We saw the mess when we came to pick up clothes.” Kuroo grabbed the door and blew him a kiss. “Maybe we’ll get someone to come and help you.”

“I’m your fucking,  _boss_ , Tetsuro!”

“Brother first. See you later.”

Kenma threw in a wave before Kuroo closed the door completely. Bokuto watched in shock as the car drove away. He huffed and stood up from the sidewalk, brushing the dirt from his pants as he walked inside the building. He ignored the looks he got from the people that passed him by as he entered the elevator, leaning against the railing and unbuttoning the top few buttons on his shirt, scratching as his gelled up hair to make an almost ridiculous hairstyle. Hair gel always made his head hurt.

Once he arrived at his floor, he took his keys out of his pocket and walked towards his door, freezing in place when he saw a very familiar back of a head at his front door. Bokuto panicked instantly—maybe he could pretend he wasn’t home, it wasn’t too late to turn around just yet.

Just as Bokuto shifted his weight to his heel, Akaashi turned around and blinked in surprise. “Oh! I thought you were inside.”

_Fuck!_  Bokuto blinked rapidly and smiled quickly. “Akaashi! What…what are you doing here?”

Akaashi cocked his head to the side and took out his phone. “You told me to come over?”

“I did?” Bokuto asked, more for himself than Akaashi. He took out his phone quickly and saw that there were two outgoing messages that were sent, most likely during the press conference.

_From: Akaashi-kun_ (•ө•)  ♡

_Hey, are you busy? Can you come over at around 4 o’clock?? If not that’s okay I just wanted to see you :]_

Bokuto was going to  ** _kill_**  Kuroo.

Akaashi seemed to gather the confusion and quickly shuffled away from the door. “Uh, sorry. I didn’t know—or else I wouldn’t have come over, I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“No!” Bokuto said eagerly, mentally kicking himself and visibly wincing when he sees Akaashi’s confusion. “I’d love to have you over any other time it’s just, my apartment, it’s a mess.”

Bokuto sighed deeply and scratched the back of his head. “I”m a mess, really.”

“With all that happened, I’d be surprised if you weren’t.” Akaashi smiled softly, sending a wave of relief through Bokuto’s body. At least he wasn’t mad. “I get if you’re not ready to see people just yet. But, I also get that you may not want to to be alone…considering your apartment is a mess as you’ve said.”

Bokuto pursed his lips and pressed his key in the lock. He  _really_  missed Akaashi, like,  _a lot_. However, Bokuto can’t remember the last time he cleaned his apartment even before his grandfather died.

“It…smells bad,” Bokuto mumbled, turning the key to unlock his door.

“I lived with two roommates who didn’t know how to act on a regular basis.” Akaashi thought of Oikawa before shaking the thought away. “I’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t as bad as Bokuto thought it was going to be, but it was still pretty disgusting. The worst of it was all the take-out he had strewn across the living room, some of it moldy and some of it stinking up the living room. Bokuto could feel the blood rising in his neck in embarrassment, but when he looked at Akaashi, he only looked up at Bokuto and smiled.

“This is nothing compared to what I used to live with.”

Bokuto gave Akaashi a look equal in both disgust and disbelief, “I am  _so_  sorry.”

Akaashi laughed and sat on the edge of the couch that wasn’t scattered in clothing. “It’s okay. I know it gets like this sometimes, it doesn’t bother me. I also have an inkling that you’re not usually like this.”

“Nope. Not at all.” Bokuto lied with a smile on his face. He was disgusting, he will admit, but this is perhaps the worst he’s ever been.

“I know that you might not want to, but I can stay and help you take out the trash at least,” Akaashi mentioned quietly.

“Truthfully, I’d hate myself if I made you clean my mess before I even took you out on a date yet,” Bokuto confessed, blood now moving to his cheeks in full embarrassment.

Akaashi shook his head, “I don’t mind. I’d feel worse if I didn’t at least help a little.”

“If I let you help me then you have to let me take you to a really nice restaurant.”

Akaashi scrunched up his nose in disapproval but agreed nonetheless, “Fine.”

Bokuto groaned, “No, Akaashi, you were supposed to say no!”

The very first thing Akaashi did was open the window vents to let in fresh air. He mentioned that it would help Bokuto feel more accomplished by smelling fresh air, but Bokuto thought that he did it because the smell was unbearable.

Whatever the reason, the duo got busy cleaning the living room, throwing boxes of taking out into a bag and pushing all of Bokuto’s dirty clothes in the washing machine. Once the living room had been cleaned, they moved to the kitchen.

Bokuto stood next to Akaashi, arms deep in suds as he tried to scrape week old food off a plate. He would admit that he felt guilty, but he was also incredibly endeared watching Akaashi’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration to get the gunk off of a single plate.

Bokuto’s focus was to dry dishes, but because of the severity of the food stuck on the plate, he had only managed to dry two in the time that they would’ve washed the entire sink if it weren’t for the mystery items on Bokuto’s expensive Chinaware. It took two more minutes of scrubbing before Akaashi exhaled, wiping his hair off of his forehead before taking off the rubber gloves.

“Maybe we should let this soak overnight.” Akaashi let out a breathless chuckle as he ran his fingers through his hair.

_Akaashi has a pretty forehead_. Bokuto thought to himself.

They moved on to the bathroom and bedroom that didn’t take long at all. Bokuto had barely been in his bedroom, and if he were, it was to smoke and to smoke only—the air in his bedroom thick in combined marijuana and cigarette smell, enough to make Akaashi step back.

“Oh,  _wow_.” Akaashi coughed.

Bokuto panicked and began to push the younger man out of his room with a nervous laugh, “Maybe we can avoid this area! It’s kind of gross and maybe I shouldn’t smoke in the house but! We can go to the bathroom where I don’t spend my time smoking weed—“

“I never thought you’d be the type to smoke weed.”

Bokuto smiled sheepishly. “Bad habit?”

Akaashi returned his smile before pushing him aside. “Let’s start with opening the windows and getting rid of any roaches you have left.”

Bokuto watched in awe as Akaashi walked in. “How do you know what roaches are, Keiji?”

“I went to college, Bokuto-san, I’m not thirteen.”

Before either of them had known it, they were both finished with cleaning most of Bokuto’s apartment, leaving his office and other areas of his apartment untouched as Bokuto requested. All that was left was his laundry, and they both sat on the, now clean, couch as Bokuto quietly folded his shirts and pants into a neat pile.

“Thank you for today,” Bokuto said quietly. If it weren’t for Akaashi’s visit, he knew that he would’ve spent another week or two in his filth. Perhaps he wouldn’t kill Kuroo, but he’d at least beat him up a little.

“It’s nothing. I’m glad I could come over and help as much as I could.” Akaashi leaned against the couch with his hands folded under his chin. “Cleaning can be really tiresome if you do it by yourself, especially if you live in a tiny mansion.”

Bokuto snorted and rolled his eyes. “Tiny mansion?”

“I know you don’t think that this is an average size apartment.”

“Certainly not. I didn’t pay for average.”

It was Akaashi’s turn to roll his eyes, giving Bokuto smile. “You’re so annoying.”

Bokuto chuckled and folded his last pair of pants before throwing it on top of the rest, falling against the back of his couch with a sigh. He looked over to Akaashi, who was staring out of the window with droopy eyelids. Bokuto scooted closer before taking Akaashi’s face in his hands, his heart folding as Akaashi leaned against his palms. His face fit perfectly in between his hands and it made Bokuto swoon.

“You didn’t have to stay after and help clean, you know,” Bokuto said softly, referencing how tired Akaashi looked.

The latter looked up at him and gave him a tired smile, “I know. But I wanted to see you, even if I had to watch you complain about separating your clothes for laundry.”

“I didn’t know you had to separate them by color,” Bokuto spoke softly, lips just barely brushing against Akaashi’s.

“You’re a lost cause.” He smiled, his hand wrapping around Bokuto’s wrist.

“A cute one?”

Akaashi laughed before Bokuto leaned in closer—not long before Bokuto’s phone went off, the ringtone specific to Kuroo and Kuroo only. Bokuto groaned and rested his forehead against Akaashi and contemplated answering.

“I’m going to kill him,” Bokuto whispered angrily.

“You can always answer, Bokuto-san. I’m not going to leave without saying goodbye.”

Bokuto took a moment to think about what Kuroo could be calling about. There are two things that could be considered urgent, but even then, the authorization of becoming chairman of the company wasn’t that important to him, at least not right now. Suddenly, Bokuto found himself entranced in Akaashi’s eyes, forgetting how deep of a green they were. His phone stopped ringing for a moment before it started up again.

Bokuto pulled away to silence the phone, flipping it on its screen before pulling Akaashi in for a kiss.

“He can send a message,” Bokuto snipped.

“But what if it’s important—“ Akaashi’s sentence was interrupted by another kiss, his arms instantly wrapping themselves around his neck.

“Less talky more kissy.” Bokuto grinned, pressing Akaashi against the couch.

Bokuto continued to kiss Akaashi for another few minutes before he rested his head against his chest, listening to his faint heartbeat as Akaashi lightly scratched the back of Bokuto’s head. Bokuto fell asleep instantly, the fatigue from the past week catching up to him before he could get up and shower. Akaashi was left awake, confused as to why Bokuto was suddenly unresponsive and sighing when he realized the older man was asleep.

Perhaps Akaashi could indulge in a nap as well.

—

Kuroo hung up the phone the second time and tossed it on the nightstand. If his plan went accordingly, then it means that Bokuto didn’t answer because he was busy smooching his Akaashi by now. That, or he was still upset that they kicked him out of the car. Either way, Kuroo didn’t have a real reason to contact Bokuto except to tell him that the paperwork went through and that they would be ready to start their newest positions on Monday, leaving them the rest of the week to adjust accordingly.

Kuroo yawned and stretched his arms before shuffling in his sheets, watching as Kenma exited the bathroom with his hair damp and his pajamas a little too big for him. It’s a wonder how anyone found him intimidating.

“Stop looking at me and wondering why people think I’m intimidating,” Kenma grumbled.

Kuroo grinned and opened his arms out wide. Despite being disgruntled, Kenma entered his embrace and closed his eyes instantly.

“You’re just so cute. Are you telling me it’s not hard to believe you’ve killed people?”

“My favorite narrative is that you keep forgetting that I was originally hired to kill you.”

“And then you had  _sex_  with me. Now we’re in  _love_.”

If Kenma’s eyes were opened, he would’ve most definitely rolled them.

“Ken? Kenma, I know you’re not asleep.”

“I wish I were.”

“Goodnight, I love you.”

No response.

_“Kenma!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kuroo is a soft idiot for kenma--no one will convince me OTHERWISE [kenma my bastard baby i love him]   
> anyway, i'm feeling a little better than i did last week, inching towards progress and what not [oh my god u guys literally did not ask] but i thought i would tell u in case u guys were worried for the story's sake 😗hehe
> 
> enjoy this chapter i know i enjoyed writing it :d


	11. I'd Love it if We Made It

Bokuto didn’t need a reason to be in his new office until Monday but in order to give a good first impression, he visited the building on Friday to introduce himself to his newest, legitimate employees. Only one person would know about Bokuto’s dealings in more illegal matters, that man being Washio Tatsuki, a tall, stoic-looking man who happened to work for his grandfather’s side before he passed.

Washio was what Bokuto’s grandfather described as a man of little words, but many actions. He had shared few words with Washio in passing whenever they did business together, but he knew that he was responsible for “errands” that Bokuto, Kuroo, or even Kenma were not to be bothered for. Although menacing and equally terrifying as Bokuto, he was still in the near bottom of the tier, technically even below Kenma in terms of the upstanding hierarchy.

Despite his terrifying presentation, Washio seemed to be a loyal hardworking man that Bokuto would be able to trust. Washio also happened to be in the room when his grandfather passed, according to Kuroo, proving to Bokuto that his grandfather was also important to him as well.

Bokuto entered the building and noticed the tall man standing at the front door, not too tall considering that he was just a centimeter taller than Bokuto. Washio bowed deeply as Bokuto walked towards him, not straightening out until Bokuto patted him on the back, mentioning that they would be close from now on.

The assistant took Bokuto in and around the building, introducing himself to the people on the floor that he would have to get to know closely. Truthfully, Bokuto only needed to meet the staff directly under him but he wanted to make sure that he got as many loyal followings as he could, which led him to introduce himself to every floor, every miserable 9-to-5 face he could find in the desolate building. He received several condolences for his grandfather and Bokuto would reply with a practiced smile and a wave of his hand before placing his hand over another woman’s, squeezing slightly with another practiced mention of gratitude. Bokuto tried not to sneer at the admiration found behind said women’s eyes, but it was easy to manipulate feelings.

After about two hours, they finally reached the fourteenth floor, where Bokuto would be residing as the chairman of the Bokuto Welfare Foundation. He passed pictures of his great-grandfather, and his grandfather, noticing that they were just beginning to put Bokuto’s picture next to him. Bokuto sighed deeply and rested against the opposite wall, watching as the maintenance men perfectly straightened out his picture. Bokuto felt sick to his stomach.

Washio led him to the cubicles outside of his office, noticing how his new subordinates quickly stood up and bowed deeply. Bokuto was quick to tell them not to do so and watched as they also shone eagerly despite the youngest being around his age. Bokuto took his time here considering that these would be the people he would be working the most with. He glanced at Kuroo, who was standing at the back and gave him a sarcastic bow before turning on his heel and leaving. He tried his best not to roll his eyes.

Once he was finally finished introducing and making idle chit-chat, Bokuto finally arrived at what he was dreading the most. Washio gave him the key to his grandfather’s office and Bokuto took his time to unlock the door, stepping inside and noticing that it was spotless. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore how difficult it was to breathe, how difficult it was to not see his old man behind the desk when Bokuto still imagined him sitting with the phone balanced in between his cheek and shoulder, holding up a single finger to let him know he was just finishing up a deal.

Bokuto Kaichi was a businessman, a family man, and a man to be feared. Bokuto wasn’t even sure if he was a man at all. He listened to his heel click against the tile floor as he reached his chair, sinking in perfectly as Bokuto noticed all the picture frames standing on his desk. Pictures of Bokuto and Kuroo as children, pictures of Bokuto and his mother, pictures of Kazuo and Bokuto. He picked up a frame gingerly and took his time to look over it, running his thumb over the corner of the frame.

“Nothing was touched in this room since the day of your Grandfather’s passing,” Washio began, “It was only appropriate that you should come and clean up what you deemed was necessary.”

Bokuto was too entranced with the pictures to pay much attention to what his assistant said. He reclined against his chair and tilted his head to the side before picking up another frame. “Old man was sentimental, wasn’t he?”

Before Washio could reply, Bokuto turned to look at the Tokyo skyline, trying desperately to ignore stubborn tears that pricked the side of his eye.

“Your grandfather loved his children very much.”

Bokuto could only scoff as he harshly rubbed his tears away. He continued to look at the skyline before he heard Washio clear his throat.

“I will leave you to clean up in peace.”

“Thank you.”

 

Akaashi slurped noodles almost obnoxiously as he glared at the screen in front of him. There were inconsistencies in the numbers and he almost wanted to cry—if there were inconsistencies in the numbers, then that meant that he had to send them back to accounting and restart his entire chart when he was nearly finished. Groaning as quietly as he could, he pushed his noodles out of the way and scooted closer to his desk, nearly straining his eyes before Oikawa came and pulled his head back with his chair.

“Honestly, if it’s not Iwa-chan, it’s you,” Oikawa whined, “You guys are going to ruin your eyes!”

“You literally have no room to talk, you used to work on things in complete darkness with your screen turned up to one hundred.”

“Why do you think I’m trying to stop you then, Kei-chan?” Oikawa pursed his lips before eating a piece of chicken.

Akaashi shrugged before noticing that his phone was vibrating, his eyes softening at the number and smiling before Oikawa could snort.

“Five minutes before lunch is over? He’s getting bolder, isn’t he Kei-chan?”

Akaashi ignored his friend as he answered the phone, “Hello?”

_“Sorry, am I interrupting something?”_ Bokuto asked, instantly sending warmth through his body.

“No, I needed a break anyway. I stayed at my desk for lunch today.”

_“Don’t sit too close to the computer screen, as cute as your glasses are, I would hate to see you have to get eye surgery.”_

Akaashi smiled, “My eyes are fine, thank you for your concern though. Was there a reason you called?”

_“Uh, yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner later. I just remembered I haven’t paid you back for helping me the other day.”_

“You don’t have to repay me Bokuto-san. A few moldy take-out boxes don’t scare me,” Akaashi made sure to look over at Oikawa, who later narrowed his eyes.

Bokuto laughed despite sounding somber on the other side of the phone, “ _Okay well, if you won’t let me take you out as a repay, let me take you out on a date.”_

Akaashi swallowed, “A date?”

_“Yeah. Is that…is that okay?”_

“No, that’s fine, that’s perfect. Um, tonight, right?”

“ _If it’s okay with your schedule. I’m not sure what time you get off—”_

“I get off at five—but I should be finished early considering I stayed at my desk.”

_“Akaashi, you need to take breaks!”_

“I am taking one now,” Akaashi looked at the clock and saw that he had a minute left, “Technically.”

Bokuto took a deep breath before laughing slightly, _“Okay, okay. I’ll pick you up at around seven, is that okay?”_

“I should be good by then.”

_“Cool, I’ll let you go before your boss yells at you.”_

“My boss is currently busy,” Akaashi muttered, watching as Oikawa walked into Iwaizumi’s office. “But I’ll see you later.”

 

Akaashi spun in his chair at around five forty-five, submitting his report before he leaned against his chair, watching the lights turn off as Oikawa left Iwaizumi’s office for the fourth time.

“What are you still doing here?”

“I have a date,” Akaashi mumbled, staring at the ceiling. “I think I’m subconsciously trying to avoid it.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He’s going to be at my place in,” Akaashi looked at his watched before looking at the ceiling again, “an hour and fifteen minutes.”

_“What the fuck?!”_ Akaashi winced at the shrill voice as Oikawa hastily pulled him out of his chair, “Keiji you’re going to miss the train!”

“I’m so nervous I think I’m going to fucking die.”

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa yelled, “Get the car! Get the car!”

 

Late November was freezing, Akaashi noticed. He pressed his fingers against his windowsill, noticing the frost melting under his finger before wiping it on his pants. Oikawa and Iwaizumi had left five minutes earlier, all that was left was Bokuto’s arrival, to which was mentioned around the same time his friends had left. He had an unsettling amount of anxiety in his stomach, and he wasn’t entirely sure where it was coming from. Bokuto and Akaashi had been alone many times before, not to mention with more salacious intents than grabbing dinner and chatting through the night.

He brought his knees to his chin and stared at the dresser in front of him. What would they even talk about? Their days at work? The weather? He nearly shuddered at the thought. For some reason, a formal date setting made it all the more real for Akaashi. About a month ago, Akaashi had gone out on a limb and he ended up in a stranger’s bed, a stranger who ended up being more charming than he expected.

Now, Akaashi had seen this stranger at his worst and their boundaries were beginning to be unclear. They spent too much time together to be regarded as acquaintances, and they shared too many nights together to be regarded as friends. What Akaashi thought was going to be a quick fling was beginning to have more and more lasting outcomes, outcomes he was terrified of.

Akaashi was not interesting. He was boring, he was an office worker. He worked from 9 to 5 every day, five days a week, with little to no variety to his schedule. He made one good joke once a week, ventured out for dinner maybe twice a week, and then if he’s lucky, he’d go out with friends on a weekend.

However, with Bokuto being introduced in his life, it was like a wrench was thrown into the cog machine, bringing everything to a harsh stop. The thing Akaashi was afraid of was not the fact that his schedule was ruined, but the fact that he may not be able to get used to it ever again.

He was now accustomed to being spontaneous with the man he met a month ago, joining him on random meetings for dinner and drinking and now he was used to having fun and laughing until his stomach hurt and feeling so _unbelievably_ adored that it shook Akaashi’s core.

What was he to do if Bokuto noticed that Akaashi wasn’t all that interesting, to begin with? What would happen if, after this date, Bokuto realized that Akaashi was a lost cause, not worth his time, what if he was to realize that he was disgustingly normal to the fact that Bokuto would want nothing to do with him?

Not terrified of his lack of schedule, no not at all, but rather terrified of losing his happiness once more.

Akaashi took a shaky deep breath and hadn’t noticed he had tears rolling down his cheeks until he heard a knock at the front door.

He hastily wiped the tears away with the back of his hand before walking towards the front door. Akaashi wanted to cry even more at the fact that Bokuto was hiding behind a bouquet of flowers, peeking behind them with a smile. Akaashi couldn’t help but smile in return, melting in Bokuto’s embrace as he pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Flowers? People might think you’re old fashioned.” Akaashi beamed, relishing in Bokuto’s gentle fingers brushing hairs from his forehead.   

“Lucky for me, I never cared much what people thought of me.” Bokuto laced his fingers with Akaashi’s before they headed towards the car, “Ready?”

Akaashi nodded and rested his head against his shoulder.

 

Traffic was as horrible as it was going to be at seven at night but Akaashi didn’t seem to mind. Mindlessly, he ran his fingertips up and down Bokuto’s wrist as Bokuto talked about his day and whatever random musing he had in his brain. Currently, he seemed to be talking about his new assistant but Akaashi wasn’t paying all that much attention but made sure to throw in responses whenever prompted. It should be important to mention that Akaashi’s lack of attention should not be mistaken for lack of interest, but rather the opposite. He paid attention to how Bokuto’s pulse gently thumped against his fingers and how on occasion, Bokuto would press his lips to Akaashi’s wrist. Each fleeting touch sent a shock to his heart, only further proving how much it would hurt to return to being alone if Bokuto were to be bore of him.

Parked in front of the restaurant, Akaashi watched Bokuto press a button to turn off the car. Instead of getting out and opening the door for him, Bokuto instead shifted so that he was facing Akaashi, taking his hand so that it rested against Bokuto’s cheek.

“What’s up?”

Akaashi blinked and gave Bokuto a confused look, “Huh?”

“You’ve been really quiet. Maybe more than usual, what’s on your mind?”

Akaashi smiled before resting his head against the headrest, just barely running his thumb over Bokuto’s bottom lip, “I think I’m just nervous.”

“Nervous?” Bokuto punctuated his question with a kiss to his thumb.

“Yeah. I think it’s kind of stupid—I don’t really know why I’m this nervous. We always go out together.”

“Is it me?”

Akaashi shook his head, “It’s never you. I think I’m getting too much into my head. If anything, I always feel comfortable around you.”

Bokuto leaned in and took Akaashi in for a kiss, pulling away and pressing kisses on the side of his jaw as well. “I’m nervous too, mainly because I want to impress you and I want you to feel comfortable around me. So, that alone is a big relief to hear.”

Akaashi watched as Bokuto’s nose turned bright pink around the tip, watching as the color spread to the tips of his ears as well. There were no words to describe the emotion pumping through every vein, every tiny capillary of his body, the word endearment seemed subpar to the exaggeration of emotion he felt. The only thing going through Akaashi’s brain was _fuck, he blushes from his fucking nose and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen._

Suddenly, Bokuto turned the car on again and left Akaashi surprised as they backed out of the parking lot, taking a turn back onto the highway.

“Bokuto-san, what—where are we going?”

“Somewhere else,” He smiled, taking his hand again _._ “It’ll be better than having dinner.”

After another four minutes of driving, Bokuto stopped again at a parking lot, turning the car off again before jogging towards Akaashi’s end of the car, opening the door and extending his hand with a smile. Blindly, the latter took his hand and followed him to the light at the end of the street, where he heard the ocean crashing against the shore. Akaashi looked behind him and noticed that they were on the very edge of the city, hearing the sounds of the pier flooding in front of them. Soon, they were surrounded by sounds of the amusement park and the roller coasters zooming above them, watching as couples walked past them with their fingers interlocked, just like them.

“The pier?”

“Is that okay?”

“We’re here now,” Akaashi smiled, resting his head against his shoulder. “It’s great.”

“I thought this would be more fun anyway, much better than pretending to like a dinner we might not even like.” Bokuto sighed and looked at the sky before he looked back at Akaashi, “It wasn’t even a good restaurant—I want to take you to a nice one next time.”

Akaashi rolled his eyes and shuffled closer as the wind began to pick up.

“My grandpa and my mom used to bring me here all the time when I was a kid,” Bokuto suddenly explained. “It was usually when I was bored with being in my grandpa’s office all day—it’s a nice escape from corporate Tokyo since it can be so boring.”

“That’s convenient considering your current occupation,” Akaashi joked, watching Bokuto roll his eyes.

“Yeah but,” Bokuto wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling Akaashi closer to his heat, “it’s more fun when you don’t visit all the time. I was tired of this place by the time I turned 11.”

“You spent a lot of time here then?”

“A bit.”

Akaashi hummed before snuggling closer, “In that case, do you think I could kick your ass at the shooting game?”

Bokuto pulled away and narrowed his eyes, “It’s fucking _on_ , Keiji.”

Akaashi laughed as he allowed himself to be dragged to the nearest game, nearly tripping over his own feet as he tried to match Bokuto’s pace. To no one’s surprise, Bokuto ended up winning the match and earned himself a prize. He mentioned that he would’ve loved to give Akaashi the prize as a gift to match date clichés, but he sheepishly explained that he had been working for a while now to win this prize. Akaashi only snorted and told Bokuto to keep it, he wasn’t one for stuffed animals anyway.

Their original planned dinner went from prime steaks to now eating corn dogs on a bench in front of the ocean, watching as the waves rippled in and drenched the sand under it. Akaashi watched as Bokuto almost unattractively ate his corn dog, smiling as he saw him open his mouth wide before chomping down.

_I really like him,_ Akaashi thought to himself. _Fuck, I really, **really** like him. _

He laughed when Bokuto dropped a dollop of ketchup on his pants, watching him frown and desperately clean up the stain with a napkin, “Aw man, I really like these pants.”

“You’re only going to make the stain worse, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto sighed heavily and scrunched up his face while Akaashi used his finger to wipe spare ketchup from his cheek.

“You’re a mess,” Akaashi beamed. He wasn’t sure what he looked like, but he sure hoped he didn’t look like a lovesick idiot staring at the man in front of him.

“Am I a cute one?”

Akaashi scoffed, “Come on, let’s go before you get more ketchup on your clothing.”

“I’m not a kid, Keiji.”

“I’ll believe you when you don’t get ketchup on every article of clothing.”

“It was only my pants!” Bokuto then grunted when Akaashi poked at another stain on his chest, “Alright! I’m a mess.”

“A cute one,” Akaashi hummed, curling into Bokuto’s side for warmth.

“Do you want to stop by somewhere for some food? Those corndogs only made me hungrier.” Bokuto grimaced, still trying to rub the ketchup off of his pants.

Akaashi smiled and nodded, taking his hand from his pants and holding it in his own, “I have some food at my place if you want to go. We don’t have to spend any more money than we have to.”

“I don’t mind spending it.”

“I know you don’t, but we don’t have to.” Akaashi let his eyes close just for a moment as Bokuto pressed his lips on the crown of Akaashi’s head.

“Alright, fine. Let’s go to your place then.”

 

The pair made sure to stop at a convenience store before they went back to Akaashi’s apartment, picking up a few beers before they found themselves walking up the stairs to his front door, instantly sighing in relief from the heat inside. Akaashi invited Bokuto to get comfortable while he went to the kitchen, heating the food up on the stove while he listened to Bokuto snap the beer can open to take a sip, shuffling towards Akaashi in his socks. He felt Bokuto rest his chin on his shoulder before Akaashi rested against his chest, yawning as the meat sizzled in the pan.

“Tired?”

“A little,” Akaashi replied, flipping the pan onto a plate before moving it to the table. “It could just be the beer settling in my stomach though. Speaking of, you should probably eat before _your stomach_ kills me for not feeding you sooner.”

The tip of Bokuto’s nose turned bright pink again as his stomach once again incriminated him with another loud growl. Akaashi laughed and pulled him in for a kiss before he pushed Bokuto towards the chair, “You’re so cute.”

“It’s the beer that’s making me hungry.”

“Sure it is,” Akaashi smiled, sitting across from him as he handed him a pair of chopsticks.

“Are you not eating?”

“No, actually. I am actually full thanks to the corndog.”

Bokuto narrowed his eyes and pushed the plate so that it rested in the middle of the table, “I’m not eating until you grab a pair.”

Akaashi rolled his eyes, “I’m fine, Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto placed his chopsticks on the table and folded his hands under his chin until Akaashi sighed and stood up from his seat to retrieve his own pair of chopsticks, picking up a bit of food and popping it into his mouth. It was then that Bokuto smiled and began eating happily, not quite noticing Akaashi pushing food onto Bokuto’s side of the plate. They made idle chitchat, talking about things they saw at the pier and every so often talking about themselves personally, especially the club.

“Now that you are chairman,” Akaashi started, “are you still going to be in charge of the club? Or, is that out of the question now?”

Bokuto grimaced and rested his cheek against his knuckles, “Nope. I’m out of the club business now, my brother took it over and he’ll be in charge of it for me.”

“Does that upset you?”

“Kind of. It was fun being a club owner who only had a tiny business to take care of,” Bokuto sighed and adjusted himself on the tiny chair, “being chairman…it’s more publicity, more things I have to sweep under the carpet. The only thing I had to worry about before this was making sure my engines got to where I needed them to be.”

Bokuto ran his fingers through his gelled hair and left a mess of a hairstyle behind, sticking in all kind of directions. “Honestly? I hate it.”

Bokuto looked up at the ceiling before looking back down at Akaashi with a sheepish smile, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to vent.”

“I’m glad you did. It’s a lot better to vent than keep all of that inside.” Akaashi scrunched his nose into a smile, “At least your hair is already white.”

Bokuto snorted. “It’s convenient, definitely.”

“Is it…do you…?”

“No, I don’t dye it.” Bokuto laughed, “It’s genetic. My grandfather had white hair when he turned 20, so did my dad—from what I heard—and here I am.”

“It’s not all the way white thought.”

Bokuto pulled a strand of gray hair in front of his eyes, crossing and straining his eyes to take a look, “Huh, I guess not.”

 

Finally, after Bokuto finished the food on the plate, the two relocated back to Akaashi’s living room where they watched a scary movie—although neither of them was paying too much attention to it. It was getting late and they had a long day today, which meant it was more difficult than usual to fight off the drooping of Akaashi’s eyelids. Before Akaashi’s eyelids could close completely, he felt a head rest against his own, a bit too heavy for him to support as Akaashi pulled away to see Bokuto was asleep. Akaashi looked at the time and noticed that it was nearing one in the morning and that Bokuto should leave sometime soon. Despite spending the entire night together, the idea of Bokuto leaving for the night made Akaashi frown.

“Bokuto-san? Bokuto-san, wake up.”

“Hmm?” Came the reply, lifting his head just slightly before stretching his arms, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know that it was that tired.”

“It’s okay, it is pretty late.”

Bokuto took his time to look over his phone. He sighed heavily before tossing it on Akaashi’s coffee table and grabbing Akaashi into his hold, “Too many emails—it’s only Saturday.”

Akaashi laughed and ran his fingers through Bokuto’s hair, slightly stiff from the remaining hair gel, “Welcome to having an office job.”

“Fuckin’ sucks,” He mumbled, lifting his head when Akaashi grabbed his face for a kiss. “I want to be a club owner.”

“That sucks.”

“ _Mean_ ,” Bokuto whined, burrowing himself deeper in Akaashi’s neck.

“You’re going to like being chairman, just wait and see. You have something better now.”

“Yeah,” The older man hummed, pressing a kiss against Akaashi’s neck, “I really do.”

Akaashi felt the blood rush through his neck and into his cheeks before kicking Bokuto, “You’re so _gross_.”

“An absolute pig,” Bokuto grinned, moving so that he was hovering over Akaashi to pull him in for another kiss.

“If you’re too tired, you can stay over if you want,” Akaashi offered quietly, fixing Bokuto’s shirt collar, “but if you’d rather go home to your bed, I don’t blame you either. My bed is kind of small.”

“Why don’t we _both_ go to my comfortable bed.”

Akaashi snorted, “I’m not going out.”

“Then I’m staying over,” Bokuto agreed quickly, resting his head back on Akaashi’s shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you shower?”

“Why, do I smell?”

“I was just asking because of your hair,” Akaashi smiled, tugging at the strands of unruly hair, “also you smell like ketchup.”

“You’re becoming real bold, Akaashi-kun,” Bokuto grumbled, “remember when you were afraid of me?”

“It’s hard to be afraid of someone when they spill ketchup all over themselves.”

Bokuto grabbed Akaashi again so that he was smushed up against him, hugging him tightly as Akaashi laughed, “I am going to squish you until all your cute comes out and you become a hollow, ugly man.”

 

Akaashi yawned as he looked over his phone at random messages in his group chat with Oikawa and Suga, nothing new and noteworthy except that Iwaizumi recently just proposed and he surprised Oikawa with a dog. Akaashi smiled and sent him a congratulatory message, knowing that they would have to come out to PR now that they were engaged. He placed his phone on his nightstand and he heard the shower next door shut off, signaling that the man inside was finished. Bokuto came into the bedroom then, in Konoha’s old sweatpants (that proved to be absolutely _tiny_ considering the amount of time Bokuto spent at the gym) and toweling his hair hastily. Akaashi had never seen his hair down before, noticing that there were more gray strands on top of his head instead of under, watching as his hair just barely fell over his eyebrows. He watched as Bokuto stretched his arms, watching as the tattoos on his back stretched over the muscles under them. Akaashi tried his best not to noticeably gasp.

Bokuto gave Akaashi a kiss before he shuffled next to him in bed, allowing Akaashi to snuggled up to him as much as he liked. Bokuto scoffed before wrapping an arm around his shoulders, “Are you comfortable?”

Akaashi replied with a smile as he played with his fingertips, finally noticing the tattoos over his arms and hands, “I didn’t know you had tattoos on your hand.”

“I try to cover them up more these days.” He replied with a sigh, “My brother and PR thought it would be a good idea.”

“They’re pretty,” Akaashi mumbled, running his fingers over the snake wrapped around Bokuto’s fingers. “I think so, at least.”

Bokuto smiled as. He watched Akaashi trail over his arm, noticing that there were no tattoos on his wrists as they continued further up his arm, ranging from different symbols and portraits.

“Do they mean anything?”

“Some of them. Milestones to prove myself to the people under my grandfather. Some of them are stupid though, I like tattoos.”

Akaashi laughed and ran his finger over a ramen bowl, “I can tell.”

Akaashi made it to a tattoo on the underside of his bicep messy and child-like kanji as he read the name. He noticed that Bokuto visibly tensed under him as he ran his finger over it, reading it aloud.

“Kazuo,” Akaashi said, short and simple. Akaashi looked at Bokuto who had an unreadable look on his face.

“Yeah. Kazuo.”

“Is he a brother…? Or, an ex—”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Bokuto smiled. “He’s my son.”

Akaashi blinked rapidly as he looked at the tattoo once again, over and over as he tried to process what he said and tried to read Bokuto’s face.

“You have a son.”

“I had a son, yes.” Bokuto corrected gently.

Akaashi removed his hand from Bokuto’s tattoo as if it were a searing pan, instantly regretting pressing so much. The unreadable face became obvious as he recognized it as grief, a grieving father.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

Bokuto laughed softly and took his hand to kiss “It’s fine, Keiji. It’s not like I’m hiding it.”

“How old was he?”

“He was four. He would’ve been eleven this year.”

Akaashi bit his lip and adjusted himself closer to Bokuto, allowing the new information to seep in. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm the questions swimming his head. He didn’t want to press a touchy subject, but it seemed that enough time had passed that Bokuto could talk about it. Thankfully, Bokuto was the one to break the silence.

“Would…you like to see him?”

Akaashi sat up slowly and nodded, a smile on his lips, “I’d love to.”

Bokuto beamed excitedly as he reached for his wallet, pulling out the small sleeve full of photos ranging from an ultrasound to what seemed like a preschool picture. Each picture had a story and Akaashi listened to each intently. Bokuto Kazuo was born when Bokuto was only 16 to a mother who was a drug addict. It led to a lot of health issues, health issues that were expensive to pay for but Bokuto loved him that much more. When he grew up, he was smaller than the rest of his peers and his bones broke easier, but it never stopped him from leaping across couches and kitchen counters no matter how many times his father and great-grandfather yelled at him.

“Sounds familiar.” Akaashi would say, looking up at Bokuto who had nothing but the pride of a father on his face.

Bokuto also mentioned that Kazuo was incredibly smart and scoring above his peers in his development despite his physical difficulties. Akaashi watched as Bokuto gushed about his son, his accomplishments, his developmental milestones, his quirks and habits. It was then when Akaashi noticed that this was Bokuto Koutaro at his most vulnerable, talking about his child as if he had just discovered the sun and moon. It only made Akaashi’s heartbreak to hear how Kazuo left.

It was a type of Leukemia that spread faster than they could locate and treat, leading to the four-year old’s passing faster than Bokuto could gather the money for treatment. He was a poor college student then who hadn’t yet pledged his loyalty to his grandfather yet, working job after job to make sure his son had medication. Even then, it seemed that Bokuto couldn’t stop everything.

“He died six months after his diagnosis. April 7th, 4:34 am,” Bokuto spoke slowly before he smiled, caressing the picture in front of him, “four hours and thirty-four minutes into being four years old. His birthday.”

Akaashi pressed a kiss to their intertwined hands, promptly on the head of the snake wrapped around his fingertips.

“I pledged my loyalty to my grandfather after that. I did whatever he asked, things I would’ve never done before Kazuo,” Bokuto scratched his head harshly, “I wore black suits back then. They were easier to clean.”

“I promised myself that I would better myself, I was going to be richer, bigger, better than I was. Just to make sure that no one I cared for would suffer just because I didn’t have enough money or power to do so.”

“Do you think that if you had the power you do today, Kazuo wouldn’t have died?”

Bokuto took a deep breath and fell against the bed, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I guess that’s all I could tell myself.”

Akaashi was in no position to tell him anything after that—but he was in the position to comfort and to listen. He rested his head against Bokuto’s chest again, listening to his breathing.

“That was a lot. I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For just…dumping all of that on you. I didn’t even ask.” Bokuto laughed, but the laugh was hollow, humorless.

“I’m glad you told me.”

“You don’t think I’m stupid.”

“No.”

“Crazy?”

“No more than usual.” Akaashi attempted a joke and was relieved to see that Bokuto smiled as well.

“You’re pretty weird yourself, Akaashi,” Bokuto started, turning on his side and scanning his face. “You’re not scared? Not even a little bit?”

“Not…really?”

“I just told you I killed people.”

“I knew that already.”

“I know, but I _confirmed_ it.”

“Are you going to kill me?” Akaashi asked suddenly, watching as Bokuto’s face contorted in confusion.

“What? No!”

“Then I have nothing to be afraid of,” He said simply, adjusting himself on his pillow before closing his eyes. He heard another scoff before he felt a kiss on his lips, opening his eyes to look through his lashes

“What?”

“Nothing,” The other man hummed, taking Akaashi’s face in hands before leaning in for another kiss, much sweeter and softer than others that they’ve shared, “I think I really like you.”

Akaashi laughed and scooted closer so that their legs were intertwined, “That’s a relief.”

 

“I think I really like you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no it's almost a month since i lasted updated--wait it's been a month i just checked FUCK i am so so so so so so sorry. i hope this long fluff chapter is enough for u to forgive me. it took me awhile because i wasn't happy with the first draft and i wanted to give u guys my best and i still think this was a little weird but omg....idk....let me stop rambling 
> 
> i ended up dropping out of school for now hhh hence my turmoil but hopefully i can get back into a rhythm now that i, somewhat, have my life in check. thank you so much, you guys, for reading it means so much to me i love u all more than i can put into words 
> 
> ill give u smut next time i promise 🥺


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